Learning to Live Again
by HeroR
Summary: Seven years is a long time to be gone, especially when you're dead. People change, places change, you change. Coming to visit for a single day is one thing, but relearning to live with those you left behind is another. Especially when the parting left behind so many regrets.
1. Homecoming

**It's been awhile, but here is my second _Dragon Ball_ story. Meant to have this ready to post months ago, but had a little writers block during the last chapters.**

 **Anyway, this story takes place right after the final battle with Majin Buu. This story have subtle nods and themes from _Future that Almost Was_ , but you don't need to read that story to understand anything. They're really just Easter Eggs for anyone who read it. **

**Hope you all enjoy.**

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 **Chapter 1: Homecoming**

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It was almost hard to believe, but it was finally over. After what had to be the longest two and half days of his existence, Majin Buu was finally dead.

Well, at least the evil one.

By some weird twist of fate the first incarnation they met, now called Mr. Buu, became friends with Mr. Satan. He wasn't completely sure how Satan did it, but this version of Buu was now good. Or at least not prone to random destruction.

Vegeta, naturally, didn't buy it and he couldn't really blame the guy. It was, after all, this version of Buu that killed him. One didn't get over something like that in a few minutes. And there was always the risk that Buu could create another evil incarnation of himself.

Still, he sensed no malice or darkness within this Buu. It wasn't like the first time they met. He felt almost innocent in fact. It was the same innocents he sensed within Buu that was blanked by blackness.

It did make sense. The Buu standing before him was more like a naughty kid whose innocence was manipulated by people like Babidi. With care and guidance from Mr. Satan, he could learn to live a peaceful life. Maybe even become one of the Earth's guardians. Given that Buu seemed to be an immorality, he would be around forever to look after the planet.

Of course, that was if he didn't turn evil again.

He supposed it didn't matter. Even if this Buu was to turn he was nowhere near as powerful as before given that most of his strength went into Super Buu and his original incarnation. Granted, he was still powerful enough to require Gotenks, Gohan, or himself to take care of, but he was no longer the absolute terror he was before.

Regardless, this Buu's sudden turn would be hard to explain to everyone. Not to mention hiding him until the memory of Buu was erased from the minds of the humans. But that was more or less Mr. Satan's problem.

He had his own worries.

Namely, how to explain his sudden resurrection? In the rush to stop Buu he never considered the consequences of being revived.

For seven years he's been dead. His friends and family had moved on from him. He had a son he didn't even knew existed until a few days ago and his oldest boy was grown up and possibly had a girlfriend. How could he suddenly jump back into their lives like nothing happened?

Not to mention the reason why he decided to stay dead was to protect them. Until Buu, most of the evil that came to Earth was after him. It got to the point that he wondered if he was more of a curse on the planet he loved despite all the times he saved it. It was a hard decision, but one he thought was best at the time.

Then Buu happened.

On one hand, Buu was revived because of him. If he didn't come back for that one day, Vegeta never would've sold his sold to Babidi to surpassed him. Gohan and Vegeta were more than enough to handle the likes of Dabura. He was largely unneeded.

But whose's to say that Babidi wouldn't have found another way to bring Buu back even without his help?

If by some twist of fate Buu was resurrected, no one would have been able to stop him. The primary reason why Buu didn't blow up the planet right away was because he promised that a strong fighter would come to challenge him in a few days. Gotenks maybe unreliable, but he did keep Buu busy while Gohan completed his training.

Then there was the whole thing with Buu's absorption...

In either case, he couldn't say for sure if things would have been better without him, but he took some comfort in knowing that he wasn't the primary caused of the situation. Not complete anyway.

Although, his presence wouldn't have been necessary either way if Gohan kept up his training.

He sighed to himself.

Piccolo warned him. His son wasn't a fighter. He may enjoy martial arts for the sport, but he didn't have a warrior's spirit. If there was no threat to be fought, Gohan wouldn't focused on getting stronger, no matter how many times they hammered that peace was fickle. It saddened him given what a wonderful gift his son had, but it was what it was.

Goten and Trunks could become the Earth's new protectors, but they were still too young and immature. Gotenks' performance showed as much. They were just kids after all. They weren't like him whose entire life was all about fighting and surviving. Before Buu, Goten or Trunks had never seen live battle. Up till now, fighting was just a game with no long-term consequences. No one died if they failed. He still doubted those two got it since everything has been repaired thanks to the Dragon Balls.

He loved the Dragon Balls, but he wished they didn't depend on them so much. One of these days, they would meet a situation that no wish could fixed. Until he found a true successor, it seemed the Earth needed him a little longer. Even if he did drew danger to it.

"Hey, are you done daydreaming?" the gruff voice of Vegeta asked.

He looked at his rival who looked more than ready to leave. Denda was next to Vegeta, looking concern at him.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he chuckled as he stood up. "Guess I let my mind wonder."

Vegeta snorted, obviously holding back a sarcastic remark.

He put his fingers to his forehead, trying to find an energy source to lock on to for their return.

"Allow me," Supreme Kai said, grabbing his shoulder firmly. "It's the least I can do."

The others gathered around, touching the Supreme Kai and him. Within a blink of an eye, they were off the World of the Kais and back on the Lookout.

Immediately, he felt the others. They were all here, alive and well. It was like the terror of Buu never happened. They really owed another one to the dragon of Namek. Without him, all of this would have been lost forever.

With a small wave and a goodbye, Supreme Kai returned to his world.

He kind of felt sorry for the guy. They left his world a big mess. He would offer to help cleaned up, but he was too tired to bother. One of the 'joys' of having a living body again was feeling real exhaustion, even after being healed. It was going to take some readjusting to get used to such feelings again.

Without a word, they moved to greet everyone, saved for Buu who stood in the shadows. No point causing a panic right away.

They were many shouts and cheers from their families.

Bulma and Trunks rushed to Vegeta's side, who tried to act uninterested.

Mr. Satan all but bear hugged his daughter, both crying in happiness.

Denda ran and embraced Mr. Popo who was in tears at seeing the young guardian alive. Piccolo looked on like a proud papa. He couldn't wiped that smirk off his face no matter how hard he tried.

As for himself, he picked up his youngest son who was smiling proudly at him.

"Daddy, you did it!" Goten cheered.

He smiled back, feeling a swell of happiness at seeing his family again.

When he said his goodbyes to Gohan, he was certain it was for the last time. At least until Gohan died, which he hoped wouldn't be for a very, _very_ long time. He never dreamed that he would see them again not only so soon, but alive.

From the looked of things, they still hadn't realized that he was alive. Well, it wasn't a very noticeable thing since the only thing that told them that he was dead was his halo. In their joy and celebration they probably didn't wonder why he had returned.

The joyful reunions were interrupted when Buu poked his head around the corner.

Almost immediately, everyone was on edge and several of his friends took up fighting positions. Buu did himself no favors by sticking his tongue at them like a little boy.

He had to move fast to keep them from killing Buu, while Mr. Satan tried to explain what happened.

Needless to say, it was a long explanation that took almost an hour to get through. Even then, few really believed him.

"So, you're saying that this Buu is good now?" Krillin asked in disbelief. "The same Buu who turned entire cities into candy and ate them?"

Mr. Satan rubbed his head. "Well...yeah... I mean, he didn't know any better. Those evil people manipulated Buu and made him do those terrible things. He's not evil. Just misled."

"I can vouch for some of what he is saying," Piccolo suddenly spoke up. "I watched his interaction with Buu. Until two foolish and evil humans intervene, he was closed to rehabilitation him."

Denda nodded. "The Buus we fought after him were the evil within him. Now that they have been destroyed, this Buu is mostly good."

Master Roshi stroked his beard in wonder. "So, his situation is similar to Kami and Piccolo's. Except in this case the good personality can survive without the evil one."

"That seems to be the case," Piccolo said as he folded his arms. "However, even if this Buu lost his evil influence, he is still a chaotic being. There is a chance that he could go out of control or even produce another evil Buu."

"That's what I've been saying," Vegeta said before side-eyeing Goku. "I wanted to destroy this blob, but Kakarot _insisted_ that we let him live because this human promised to look after him."

"And I will," Mr. Satan swore with absolute conviction. "Even if it cost me my life, I'll make sure Buu never harms another soul."

Videl looked at her dad in surprise. "Dad..."

There was a short silence.

"Despite everything, I can't help but to take him at his word," Yamcha mused mostly to himself.

Krillin shook his head. "I can't say that I'm completely happy about this. But, given that almost everyone here was once enemies and even murderers, I see no reason not to at least give him a chance."

18 kept an impassive expression, but brought Marron a little closer to her.

Piccolo hummed. "Given my own past, I am in no position to judge him."

Bulma shrugged and shook her head. "I can't say I forgive him for everything he's done. But, if I can forgive Vegeta, I'm in no place judge either."

Chi-Chi scowled. Obviously, she was still mad at Buu for nearly killing Gohan.

Trunks narrowed his eyes, trying to look intimidating. He also haven't forgiving Buu for killing his father.

Goten looked towards his big brother, wanting to see how he would react.

Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I think it will be okay. I mean, if Buu does do anything bad, I can stop him."

Mr. Satan looked tearfully at them. "Oh, thank you so much! Thank all of you! You guys won't regret this, I promise!"

Goku smiled at his son. "That's the spirit. Besides, after what Buu did for us today, we owe him the benefit of a doubt."

Vegeta snorted, still disliking keeping Buu alive.

Yamcha suddenly looked at Goku like it was his first time seeing him. "Speaking of which, Goku, how did you get back?"

Goku gave him a confused expression.

"I mean, I thought they said once your day was up you could never return to the lower realm," Yamcha explained. "Yet, you were able to come back and fight Buu."

"Oh, yeah. I was surprised too," Gohan said as he turned towards his father. "You saved us and came with earrings of all things."

Goku chuckled. "Well, the earrings were for us to fused with."

"Oh, I saw that!" Krillin exclaimed before laughing. "You and Vegeta fused and kicked Buu's butt all over the place! You were amazing!"

This got Piccolo's attention. "You got Vegeta to fuse with you?"

"And never again," Vegeta quickly added. "It was the worse experience of my life."

"But Vegeta, you were dead at the time," Goku pointed out.

Vegeta growled at him. "That's not the point!"

"Still, were you granted an exception so you could fight Buu for us?" Yamcha asked, getting back on subject.

Chi-Chi gave him a sad, desperate look. She looked closed to tears. "Then...that means you have to leave again?"

Goku folded his arms. "You haven't noticed something missing?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "You all are such an unobservant bunch."

There was a short paused before Krillin gasped. "Your...your halo…!"

This got everyone's attention. They looked towards the top of his head and saw that his halo was truly gone.

"You're right! It really is gone!" Yamcha exclaimed.

Krillin became teary eyed. "Does...does that mean...?"

Goku smiled as the realization hit them. "Yeah. Old Kai granted me a life. I'm not dead anymore."

The reaction was immediate.

They all stared at him like they'd never seen him before. Most couldn't believed what he was saying, while others looked so happy that they could jumped up and down and hugged him. The only person who seemed disinterested was 18.

Then again, Goku never seen her looked any other way. Well, that wasn't completely true. He had seen her smile at her daughter and some times at Krillin. And she was programmed to kill him, so she wouldn't really care about him.

Chi-Chi stared at her husband with eyes filled with unshed tears. "Does...does that mean you can come home and we can be a family? A family of four in our little house?"

Goku smiled at her. "Well that was what I was planning, if you guys think you can put up with me."

Without another word, Chi-Chi fell into his arms and cried into his chest.

He wasn't completely sure how he should react, so he gently put his arms around her.

The others were teary eyed too at the happy scene. Gohan and Goten especially looked ready to burst into tears of joy.

Goku couldn't help being touched. He knew he was missed. Their reaction when they saw him at the tournament told him as much. But, he didn't expect such a warm reaction from his return. Not after all this time and all that has happened.

He almost felt like crying himself, but held back. Perhaps it was out of pride that he didn't want to show any tears.

"Geez Chi-Chi, did you cry this much when I died?" he asked lightly, trying to ease her tears. This only made her sob harder.

He lost his humor. This wasn't the time for that. For her, her family was finally united. After losing Gohan, then her own life to Buu, she must have felt lost. Especially since no one was there to greet her in the afterlife.

He did feel a little guilty about that. After everyone was killed on the Lookout, he considered going to Heaven and greeted them. At least spending time with Chi-Chi before she was wished back to life.

But he felt he had to make sure Buu was dead before greeting any of his dead loved ones. He supposed even dead he wanted to make sure his boys were alright, although he was certain of Gohan's victory.

Goku broke himself out of his musing as he held Chi-Chi closer. None of that mattered anymore. They were all alive. By some miracle, they were given a second chance.

"It's okay now, I'm back for good," Goku smooth in his gentlest voice. Then, he said something he was certain he never said before. At least out loud. "I love you, Chi-Chi."

That really sent the waterworks going.

Slowly, the rest of the group moved away from them, given the reunited couple space. Gohan and Goten were the last to leave, both giving loving looks to their parents.

Goku wasn't sure how long he stood there smoothing his wife. He was beginning to worry that she might dehydrate at the rate she was going.

Was she really like this when he died, just a mess of tears? Yeah, Chi-Chi's been hard on him, especially in those three years before the androids. In those days, it wasn't uncommon for her to go days without speaking to him.

In fact, their relationship was all but on ice during that time period. There were times where he wondered if Chi-Chi liked him anymore since she blamed him for everything that has happened since Raditz came. She wasn't completely wrong in that thinking, but it still hurt at the time.

Then he became sick.

His memory of his illness was blurry; given everything was a big mess of anguish and feverous nightmares. Those were some terrible days. The pain was so overwhelming and consuming that there were times he wished he died. He remembered pleading for death at one point. Pleading for the pain to stop.

The medicine Trunks gave him was the only thing that made his sickness even remotely bearable. Without it, he was certain the pain alone would've killed him. He didn't even want to imagine what his future counterpart went through, dying in such a horrible way. He wouldn't wish his illness on anyone, not even his worst enemy.

Well...maybe Frieza. Maybe...

Somehow, through the fog of anguish and his barely conscious state, he heard Chi-Chi crying, begging for him to get well, and praying to any god that would listened that he would pull through.

He felt her trying to fight his fever and eased the nightmares that constantly haunted him. She never left his side and even stood up through the night to care for him. It was the most loving she has ever been towards him. Actually, it was the most loving _anyone_ been to him outside his grandpa.

It was comforting. Almost like having a mother he imagined. Her presence gave him something to fight for. Something to remind him that there was a reason to fight the pain. It also told him that despite everything that's happened, she still loved him.

And, in that moment, he came to realize that he loved her too.

It's strange.

Before marrying Chi-Chi he knew what love was. He loved his grandpa and he loved his friends, even if he didn't know it was love at the time. But the concept of 'romantic' love escaped him. He knew Chi-Chi loved him, very much, but not in the same way his friends loved him. It was...deeper if that was the right word. He couldn't explained or understand it.

He always felt kinda guilty about that since he didn't return the kind of love Chi-Chi had for him. At least, that's what he believed.

Somewhere between marriage and that moment he was lying helpless in bed, he did fell in love with her. He never did figure out when, but it was definitely there.

Perhaps, that was another reason he chose to stay dead. With him gone, Chi-Chi could find someone who could really take care of her and not worry about them going off into space and fighting monsters. He could never be the kind of husband who got a job and paid bills. It just wasn't him. If what Chi-Chi wanted was a normal life, then his death gave her the freedom to have one.

But she didn't take it. She never remarried and still lived in that house in the mountains. She was free to do what she wanted; yet she stood by him loyally and now cried in his arms, happy that he'd returned.

It seemed...he was wrong about her.

"This...this is like a dream..." Chi-Chi spoke through her sobs. "After everything that's happened, we're a family again. I have all my boys back."

"I can hardly believe it myself," Goku spoke softly. "When I left here, I was sure it was for the final time."

Chi-Chi pulled away and stared at him. "I guess some good came out of Majin Buu." She reached out a hand and stroked his face. "He brought you back to me."

Goku laughed. "Funny how that worked out."

She stopped stroking his cheek. She reached down and grabbed his hand, squeezing it firmly. "I have so much to tell you. And the boys, I'm sure they do too, especially Goten. Oh, this is just so wonderful. He gets to have his daddy."

He didn't smile at the mention of Goten. Did he even want a father after all this time? They were practically strangers.

Before he could think further on the subject, Chi-Chi dragged him towards the others with a big smile on her face.

"Goku's home! My Goku's home!" she cheered.

Bulma smiled happily at them. "I know the feeling." She grabbed and squeezed Vegeta's arm. He did his best to look uncomfortable. "I thought I lost Vegeta forever, too. But I know that doesn't even compare to your lost. Goku has been gone for seven years."

"Man, so much has changed after you left. We have a lot of catching up to do," Krillin said with a huge smile. He was now holding his daughter.

"You know, you never really introduced your daughter to me," Goku pointed out.

Krillin was surprised to hear that. "Oh. I meant to do it after the tournament, but then all that stuff with Buu happened and I forgot." He quickly recomposed himself and smiled. "This is Marron." He turned towards his daughter. "Marron, you know about Uncle Goku I've been telling you about."

Goku chuckled. "Uncle, huh?" He leaned down until he was at Marron's level. "Hi there. Sorry I didn't formally introduce myself." He brought his hand up.

At first, Marron seemed a little shy, but after a few seconds she grabbed the offered hand. "Wow! You're warm for someone who's dead!"

"Marron!" Krillin exclaimed.

"Aw, it's okay. She's so much like you when you were little...er," Goku lightly teased.

Krillin growled at him and the others chuckled.

"Although, Marron," Goku mused for several seconds. "Isn't that the name of one of your girlfriends?"

Krillin blushed. "I...I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I could have sworn Gohan told me you had a girlfriend named Marron once," Goku said. He looked up and saw Master Roshi and Gohan trying to wave him off.

"You named our daughter after one of your exs?" 18 asked in a cold voice.

Krillin stuttered for an answer. "Well you see...I didn't name her after that Marron. Marron's just a cute name and all...and I thought it went well with my name since your's just a number... I mean...you didn't give me your real name... Not that there's anything wrong with that!"

Goku felt bad for getting his friend in trouble. This wasn't a good way to integrate back into the world.

Vegeta laughed. "Naming your child after a former suitor? You're braver than I thought."

This made Krillin snapped. "At least she isn't named after underwear!"

Vegeta tilted his head. "Who's named after underwear?"

"That's enough!" Bulma snapped, hitting Krillin upside the head.

"Who's named after underwear?" Vegeta repeated, truly confused.

Bulma laughed nervously. "Don't listen to him. He's just crazy in the head."

Goku could only looked on in amusement. That went to weird places in a hurry. How he missed his friends. The people in the Otherworld may be more colorful, but they didn't hold a candle to them.

At that moment, a huge rumbled filled the Lookout, startling everyone.

"What's...what's that!?" Yamcha asked, getting on guard.

"Has something else happened?" Piccolo wondered, casting his senses to the lower world. He didn't sense any evil. Everything was perfectly calmed.

Goku also looked around for the source of the noise. It sounded vaguely familiar to him. The noise stopped and started again, but this time he felt his stomach vibrate.

"Oh, it's me," Goku said, causing his friends to turned towards him. "It's my stomach."

Almost everyone face-faulted when they heard that.

"Your stomach! I thought it was an earthquake!" Krillin yelled.

Goku rubbed his head. "Yeah, sorry. To be honest, this is the first time I've been hunger since I died."

"But I've seen you eat, dad," Gohan pointed out. "You even said you were hungry at one point."

"Well, eating was more of a pleasure. I didn't need to actually eat," Goku explained. "When I said I was hungry, I wasn't _actually_ hungry. I just wanted to eat something."

Gohan paused. "Huh, I guess that makes sense."

Buu smiled. "If hungry, Buu can make food."

Mr. Satan quickly stopped him. "Buu, you can't make food out of people anymore. That's not good."

"Buu knows. Was going to turn rocks into food for good man," he stated.

"Oh," Mr. Satan said meekly. "Sorry for doubting you."

"That's okay. I have a huge meal waiting at home," Chi-Chi said with a smile.

This got Goku's attention. "Really!?"

"It was supposed to be a feast for after the tournament," Chi-Chi said. "With everything back to normal, it should be there."

Goku drooled at the thought. He got to have Chi-Chi's cooking again. This was better than Heaven.

"Wow, we finally get to have mom's cooking again!" Goten cheered, unknowingly voicing his father's thoughts.

"Yes, let's get home right away!" Goku exclaimed before he stopped. He suddenly looked somewhat pale.

Master Roshi took noticed. "What's wrong, Goku?"

After several seconds, Goku sighed. "I just rediscovered something else about being alive. 'Cuse me." He turned around and headed towards the temple.

"Goku, where are you going?" Ox-King asked.

"I need to use the bathroom," Goku answered without turning around or stopping. "You might want to get comfortable. This could take a minute."

This caused several in the group to sigh, while others snickered.

After over twenty minutes had past, the Son family was flying off the Lookout. Instead of taking the Nimbus, Chi-Chi chose to ride in Goku's arms. He supposed it was so she could feel closed to him. Gohan and Goten were flying by their side, smiling at having their family united. They did invite the Ox-King, but he declined. He wanted them to spend their first night together alone.

"Hey dad, do you remember the way back?" Gohan asked.

Goku smiled. "Even if I'm gone twenty years, I will always remember how to get back home."

Home...

If felt strange to say that. He's been dead for seven years and yet he still considered Earth his home. The other dead fighters had moved away from their home planets. Some barely remembered what their planet of birth looked like or even its name. Then again, most of them have been dead for centuries, some for thousands of years. The world they knew went away a long time ago. It would hardly be considered home.

His situation was different. Seven years was a heartbeat among the dead. Not to mention the lost of memories.

He lowered his head.

For a time, he had actually forgotten about his friends and family. King Kai warned him that it would happen. That as he stood in Otherworld his memories of his life would fade. According to him, this was to keep the dead warriors from interfering with the lives of the living.

It was also to protect them if something bad happened to their world. Like if an evil force came to destroyed their planet, they wouldn't angst about being unable to help or to save their loved ones. They couldn't miss what they couldn't remember, after all. They wouldn't remember until their loved ones passed and they saw them again in the afterlife.

When he asked why he didn't lose his memories the first time he died it was because he had something to focus on. The Saiyans were coming and he had to become stronger to saved everyone. There was also the fact that he knew he would be revived. It was the same reason why his dead friends kept their memories before their revival. Since he chose not to be revived and had nothing to focus his mind on the living realm, the effects of being dead hit him.

It was gradual. First, names and places left his mind, then faces, then memories of his adventures. He could still remember some of them, but they were in broad strokes. He couldn't recall the details. Before long, his life on Earth all but disappeared.

He remembered none of them until Baba came, offering him to come back for a day.

He was confused at first. Why did he want to go back to Earth? There was nothing for him there.

It wasn't until Baba showed him his loved ones on her crystal ball that he remembered. He was shocked that seven years went by in the living realm and Gohan had grown into a young man who was going to school and dressing as a super hero, for some reason.

He barely recognized Krillin who grew a head full of hair and started a family. What really surprised him was that Bulma and Vegeta actually got married. He didn't even want to guess how that happened. Their very relationship was one of the many wonders of the universe.

Time had moved on without him and he didn't remember it. It was an awful feeling.

Although, it wasn't nearly as awful as returning to the Otherworld after his time was up. Goten, the son he didn't know existed until yesterday, wanted to hug him one last time. The gestured almost moved him to tears not just because his son had come to love him in such a short amount of time, but because he wouldn't even remember him in a few days. He hoped if he focused hard enough that he could keep that memory if nothing else.

Thankfully, that was no longer an issue.

He was alive and no longer in danger of forgetting. In fact, he could create new memories with his sons.

By the time he returned from his thoughts, they were over the mountains. Within a few more minutes, they landed in front of the house.

It was just as he remembered. Nothing had changed. It seemed this place was truly timeless. To think, Buu had destroyed this place along with the rest of the planet. Thank the Kais for the Namekians Dragon Balls. It would be a tragedy to lose this place.

He carefully put his wife down and she and their sons made their way towards the house. He didn't move from his spot.

Chi-Chi took noticed of this. "Goku?"

His sons turned towards him.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Goten asked in worry.

Goku remained silent for several seconds. "When I left here seven years ago, I was certain that I would never see this place again. I...I never thought I would return here. Yet here I am. It's almost like no time has past."

Chi-Chi walked over to him and grabbed his arm. "Don't think about such things. You're home now and that's what matters now."

She pulled him inside and what awaited him stopped his breath.

The kitchen was filled with food, so much that it spilled into the living room. At the entrance was a banner with 'WELCOME HOME' written across it. It was more than he ever expected.

It was only supposed to be a day, yet they did all this for him? What did he do to deserve such a loving family?

Chi-Chi hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Welcome home, Goku."

Gohan and Goten also hugged him. "Welcome home, dad."

For the first time in years, a few tears fell from his eyes.

He was home.

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 **I would call that a successful first chapter. It actually could work as an one-shot, but I'm not quite finish with Goku yet. There are many issues and talks that need to be done. Until next chapter.**


	2. Quality Time

**The next chapter is up and ready for your enjoyment. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. Glad this story got such a strong start and you guys are enjoying it. Hopefully, this story will be updated every Wednesday.**

 **Anyway, to the chapter.**

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 **Chapter 2: Quality Time**

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For the first time in seven years, he slept like a rock.

The last time he slept this deeply was when he was sick and bedridden. After he started to recover from the worse of his illness, he spent his days locked in an extremely deep sleep. Every now and again his conscious would float to the top, allowing him to hear and feel what was going on in the outside world, but most of that time he spent trapped in darkness.

The darkness was a blissful changed from the endless nightmares and his bouts of consciousness weren't exactly happy either since those times were often filled with worries about the androids and himself. He remembered hearing Gohan asking Chi-Chi if he was ever going to wake up. The poor boy wasn't used to seeing him like that. For the first time in his life, Gohan saw him as utterly helpless and a stone thrown away from death.

He knew his son always saw him as being invincible. Logically, Gohan knew he was far from such. He's seen him hurt to the point that he couldn't move or nearly beating to death. But his young impressionable mind was still convinced of his invulnerability. There was nothing daddy couldn't do. To see him fall to a mere virus had shaken his son to his core.

He did nothing to help that myth, purposely making himself appear stronger than he actually was to his boy. What father didn't like to be worship by their son?

Still, despite being helpless, a small part of him did enjoy his days in bed. At least after spams stopped and he didn't want to tear his own heart out anymore. Mostly, he enjoyed the pampering and having Chi-Chi's attention without her yelling at him. He was also happy when Gohan slept near him.

Although, he really _hated_ being fed like a baby. Nothing was more demeaning than being unable to feed yourself. He was also more than certain that what he ate was actual baby food when he was finally strong enough to swallow solids. Thankfully, he wasn't really conscious enough to remember the actual taste. Just that it was horrible.

In Otherworld, resting and sleeping were more of a habit or something one did to past by the time. The dead had no need to rest or sleep. They didn't even dream. The energy of the Otherworld sustained and healed their bodies. The entire time he was dead, he never felt the urge to lie down. Even when he told Piccolo he had to return to Otherworld to recharged and rest after going Super Saiyan 3, it wasn't really exhaustion he was feeling despite how his body reacted. More like an urgent need to leave before his body fell apart.

Because his body was a recreation and not his original body it couldn't survived in the living realm. He needed a near constant stream of energy from the Otherworld to keep his dead body going. That was why going Super Saiyan 3 was taboo. It literally burnt through his energy reserves. If he didn't returned before his time was up, his body would have disintegrated, trapping his soul on Earth forever and he would be forced to live as a wondering spirit.

Not a pleasant thought.

Now, he was alive again and the full weight of his battle with Buu hit him like a planet size truck filled with explosives. Not only was he tired, but his body also ached all over. Apparently Denda's ability didn't heal the morning after pains.

Admittedly, he had worse. This was nothing compared to the mess he was after fighting Frieza. Although he amazingly had no broken bones or even torn muscles, he still literally couldn't move for days and was living off of painkillers. And that was after being unconscious for several days.

He was also on sleep meds because of nightmares. According to the Yardratians, he would often cried and sob in his sleep, calling out to Krillin, Piccolo, and his son while spewing words of hatred towards Frieza.

Yeah, that time was much, _much_ worse.

He didn't even want to imagined what Vegeta was feeling right now, given the epic beat down Buu gave him, plus the fact he died. Vegeta may also have his own share of mental trauma from being possessed by Babidi and murdering those people at the tournament. He was certain Bulma didn't let him go to bed until he explained that one.

He doubted Gohan was faring much better. Between the brutal beating and the mental torture Super Buu put him through, he doubted his son had a peaceful night.

He really wished Korin grew more senzu beans. Those beans may not be able to heal mental trauma, but they would at least take away the physical pain. He wondered if Yajirobe have been eating them all. Korin used to have so many beans when he went to the tower in the past.

No point complaining now. It was time to get up. There was too much to do to lie in bed all day.

Despite the pain and the drowsiness, he forced his eyes opened. He blinked several times as the light within the room blinded him, making his head pound and his eyes sting. After several seconds, he eyes finally adjusted to light and he could see clearly.

At first, he was a little confused about where he was. It's been so long since he'd seen his bedroom that he didn't immediately recognized it. He actually thought he was dreaming before remembering that the dead didn't dreamed and that he was alive again. This was all very real.

It took him another several seconds to realize that given the position of sunlight coming through his window it was mid-afternoon. He slept through the entire morning and half of the afternoon.

He was both surprised and not surprised. He never slept this late, but it was to be expected. He was certain he could sleep for an entire day if given the chance.

As appealing as that was, he knew he had to get up. He could sleep later.

Besides, he would feel much more energized once he ate something. Maybe it was a Saiyan thing, but he long noticed that if he ate constantly he slept less. After eating a senzu bean he could go over a day without sleeping and even then only needed a couple hours of rest. When he was at home, he regularly only needed about four to five hours of sleep no matter what his activities were that day thanks to Chi-Chi's meals.

His stomach grumbled at the thought of food. Yes, he would feel so much better after a meal.

He slugged himself out of bed, feeling his muscles popped as he did so. He couldn't be really that out of shape or was it an effect of having a living body after so long? He half mused if he could get Chi-Chi to massage him.

He dismissed the thought as soon as it came.

Chi-Chi hadn't massaged him since before Raditz came. After that incident, Chi-Chi wanted to smack him if forced to make physical contact with him. At least before he got sick. After that, Chi-Chi couldn't get enough of caressing him. It was almost like the old days.

Maybe he should ask. The worse that would happen was a loud no.

After doing some quick stretches to work out the kinks in his body, he put on the clothes he dumped on the floor and made his way to the kitchen. He found his family there, eating what he guessed was lunch.

He much had been out of it. He should have smelled the food long before even walking down the stairs.

"Dad, you're finally up!" Goten exclaimed.

Chi-Chi gave a relieved smile at him. "I was so worried. You haven't been up since yesterday."

Goku recoiled at hearing this. "Yesterday!? I slept for an entire day?" And he was still drowsy despite it being so late!? Good grief, he was more worn out than he thought.

Gohan nodded. "Yeah, dad. You were out. Goten tried to wake you this morning and you didn't budge. Even the mentioned of food did nothing. He was afraid that you died."

Chi-Chi walked over to him and touched his forehead.

Goku was slightly annoyed by this.

Ever since he got sick, Chi-Chi had been more concern about his health. After seven years, he thought she would be over it by now. That virus was most likely an one-time thing since until that moment he had never gotten so much as a cold. Although, he still had no idea how he even got that virus. He really should've asked Trunks.

"When you didn't come down for breakfast today, I was afraid you became ill from fighting Buu," Chi-Chi said before nodding in satisfaction and put her hand down. "I almost called the doctor, but Gohan said you were just exhausted and needed to rest." She glanced at her eldest child. "Gohan himself woke up late yesterday and was sore all over."

Gohan gave a tired smile. "Well, between Old Kai's training and fighting Buu, I haven't gotten any sleep in over a day. I'm surprised I managed to get up as early as I did."

"I bet. You did stand for hours and then sat for more hours. I would have gone crazy," Goku said as he walked past Chi-Chi and eagerly reached for the food.

Before he could touch the food, Chi-Chi slapped his hand, hard, causing him to pull back.

"Goku, you know we sit down in this house to eat!" Chi-Chi scolded before she leaned forward and smelled him. "Did you wash? And why are you wearing those torn up clothes?"

Goku blinked and looked down at what he was wearing. He slowly realized that he was wearing his ruined gi from the Buu fight. In Otherworld any damaged to his clothes were repaired by itself. He wasn't sure how it worked.

As for bathing...

"Umm, I didn't wash," Goku admitted in a meek voice.

He never had to wash in Otherworld. The dead had no odor...well more specifically the dead couldn't smell bad no matter how hard they trained. Even dirt or grim from training disappeared on its own. If the dead did take baths, it was for the luxury. The concept of bathing to get clean didn't even occurred to him since he had no need for it for several years.

Chi-Chi put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

He felt himself unconsciously stepped back. He knew she was going to blow and so did his sons. They all scooted back in their chairs.

He didn't know what it was, but Chi-Chi scared him at times. He could easily take his enemies glaring at him with all their hatred and returned it tenfold, but the disapproving glares of his wife made his shuttered.

"You know the rules. We wash before eating. I let you go to bed despite being so sweating from all the fighting you did the other day, but I draw the line here," Chi-Chi said, her voice steadily rising. "You reek, especially since you've been lying in bed for over a day. What kind of example are you setting for Goten?"

It was his first day back to life, well conscious anyway, and he was already being scowled. He supposed he should have expected it.

"Yeah, okay. I'll get clean up," Goku said as he quickly made his way to the bathroom.

Since he was in a hurry to eat, he chose to take a shower instead of a bath. He could do that later tonight, or something.

He took off his torn and ragged clothes and put the water on maximum heat. Chi-Chi always called him crazy, but he loved his showers and baths to be boiling hot, which was why he favored bathing in the barrel outside. The inside shower and bath never got as hot as he liked. The hot water also helped relaxed his muscles and eased cramps, which was something that he needed right now. He personally found the lukewarm baths most people took to be too cold.

Once the water was reasonable enough, he stepped in the shower and allowed water to soothe him.

He had forgotten how good it was to take a shower. Having to bathe again because of body odor was annoying, but having hot water soothe his sore body more than made up for it. Still, it would take some time getting used to making this a habit again. Which undoubtably meant more yellings from Chi-Chi. Something to looked forward to...

When he was done washing, he wrapped a tower around his waist and walked into the bedroom to get some fresh clothes. When he opened the closet, however, he saw nothing for him to wear, not even street clothes. Everything in the closet belonged to Chi-Chi.

Where did all his clothes go?

The answer hit him as soon as he asked the question.

He was dead.

Chi-Chi had no reason to keep his stuff around. It would just be a painful reminder that he was gone.

He shook his head. Maybe he could borrow some of Gohan's clothes.

After a moment of thought, he dismissed the idea.

Although Gohan and him were about the same sized, with his son actually being taller than him, Gohan was much skinner. He bulked up after training with Old Kai, but only his gi was the same size since Gohan's mass returned to normal when he wasn't using his full power. It didn't seem right for him to take his son's gi since it was a gift.

He could teleport to the Lookout and asked either Piccolo or Denda to create some clothes for him, but he quickly decided against that too.

Denda was the Guardian of the Earth, and most likely wouldn't like being reduced to a tailor. He would also be overseeing the reconstruction of the planet given all the confusion left in Buu's wake.

Piccolo wouldn't like seeing him with hardly any clothes. He had a very strong disliked at seeing him even closed to nude. Something about seeing his naked butt too many times.

Sighing, he went back into the kitchen with only the towel. His family wouldn't mind. Gohan and Chi-Chi have seen everything he had to offer and Goten should be at that age where it didn't matter.

Gohan and Goten were closed to finishing eating when he returned.

"Goku, why are you walking with only a towel?" Chi-Chi asked in annoyance. She was closed to boiling over again. "You can't walk around half bear."

"There's no clothes for me to wear," he answered simply.

There was a short; uncomfortable paused as Chi-Chi took in his words. "Oh...I forgot..." She looked down in shame, completely losing her previous temper. "I...I had Gohan pack your stuff away."

Goku smiled, trying to break the awkward mood. "It's okay. I don't mind walking around like this."

Chi-Chi shook her head. "That won't do at all."

Gohan finished his sandwich. "I kept some of dad's stuff in great grandpa's old house. I think several of his gi and other clothes are there."

"Oh Gohan, thank you," Chi-Chi said in relief. "I was afraid I threw everything away."

Gohan stood up. "I'll be right back." He ran out of the house.

Seeing no point in waiting for him, Goku took a seat at the table. He quickly loaded his plate with sandwiches, ham, and anything else he could get his hands on.

"We maybe a little short," Chi-Chi warned. "It's been a long time since I cooked for so many people."

"I can go hunting," Goku offered with a mouthful of food. "Maybe bring back a bear or a dinosaur."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," she admonished.

"Wow, a bear! I haven't had one before," Goten said in excitement.

Goku swallowed. "You never had bear before?"

Goten shook his head. "Mom said we shouldn't eat such things."

"But bears are delicious. Almost as good as wolves and lizards," Goku said, feeling himself starting to drool.

Darnit, now he wanted wolf with lizard stew. He hadn't had any since he was a teenager. So delicious, but Chi-Chi _hated_ it.

"Don't push your strange food choices onto Goten," Chi-Chi scolded as she narrowed her eyes.

Goten tilted his head. "How do wolves taste?"

Gohan chose that moment to walk in with his father's clothes. "I kept several of the gi in storage. There's even some casual wear, too."

"Ah, thanks," Goku said, going back to eating.

"We have to go out shopping so you can have something to wear," Chi-Chi said before looking at her husband. "You remember our agreement, no wearing any gi unless you're training."

Goku paused, trying to recall the agreement in question. "I...I kinda remember that."

Chi-Chi sighed. "I supposed you forgot since you wore nothing but your gi since dying. I'm willing to bet that you never even changed your clothes."

She was more or less right. Even when his gi was tore to shreds, he never changed. In retrospect, he was surprised that he remembered to take them off last night. Or maybe Chi-Chi made him. He was so tired that the details were lost to him.

"Hey Gohan, dad was talking about going hunting," Goten said as his brother took his seat. "He was talking about hunting bears and wolves."

Gohan gave a fond smile. "It's been long time since I had wolf."

Goku glanced at his son. He knew Gohan did have bear on one of their camping trips, but he made him promised to never tell his mom. Seemed he remembered that promise even now. His boy had such a good memory. So unlike him.

Goten turned towards his dad. "I want to go hunting with you! I've never been before."

This surprised Goku. "You haven't been hunting before? Didn't Gohan take you?"

Goten shook his head.

Gohan gave an embarrassed blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well...I was busy studying and helping around the house with Goten and stuff. I didn't really have time to hunt."

There was a slight paused.

"I see," Goku said, returning to his meal. "Did you go fishing with your brother?"

Goten nodded. "Yeah. Gohan taught me how to fish by driving into the river and grabbing the big fishes there."

Goku nodded. He was happy to hear that. He would have been disappointed if Gohan didn't teach Goten how to fish, given how much Gohan enjoyed it as a child.

Still, things really changed. He never thought Gohan would stop hunting. It was one of the many activities he enjoyed along with fishing. At least, when he was around he enjoyed it.

Maybe it was a time thing. He remembered his activities being severally hampered when Gohan was born. Between Chi-Chi's mood swings and Gohan being a helpless baby and then a very needy toddler, he had almost no time to train. Hunting and fishing were one of the few things he could do since they needed to eat and Chi-Chi was dead set against using her father's money.

He never understood Chi-Chi's deal with money, or the concept of money in general. He couldn't understand it. The mountains and the forests provided more than enough. It sheltered and cared for him since his childhood. He didn't need money to get food, water, or milk.

But, he did hear that Chi-Chi has been having a hard time. That she has been using her father's treasure to care for Gohan and Goten. That surprised him given how pridefully stubborn Chi-Chi was about such things.

Perhaps the problem was that _he_ had no need for money, but his family did since Gohan couldn't seem to provide the same way he did.

Well, he could relieve some of that now that he was back. Giving the off cuff rants Chi-Chi gave during the tournament, he had a general idea of what was needed around the house.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Goten, get ready. We're going hunting."

Goten's eyes widened. "Really!?"

Goku nodded and smiled. "Yeah. It will be a great bonding experience."

Goten jumped out of his chair and hugged his father. "Thanks, dad."

Goku turned towards his eldest boy. "Do you want to come?"

Gohan gave a wide smile. He was almost as excited as Goten. "Yeah!"

"Goku, if you're finished eating, please get dress," Chi-Chi said interrupting her boys. "I won't let you run around the mountains in a towel."

"Oh, right," Goku said as he grabbed the clothes Gohan fetched for him and went into his room to changed. One rule he did remembered, no stripping in the kitchen.

Within a few minutes, he was dressed and ready to go. The gi he wore had a somewhat damp, musty smell, but it didn't bother him. It was in storage for what he assumed was seven years.

Gohan and Goten were already outside by the time he greeted them.

"So what animal are we hunting?" Goten asked excitedly.

"I'm not particularly. Given the time of day, they should be plenty of animals out and about," Goku said.

Gohan looked towards the west. "I sense plenty in that direction."

Goku looked at his son. "Gohan, you know there's no energy sensing on hunting trips. That's cheating."

Goten blinked in confusion. "Huh? How is it cheating?"

Goku grinned. "Half the fun of hunting is tracking and sensing energy makes it too easy. Besides, over relying on one sense can dull your other senses."

Gohan rubbed his head. "Yeah, that got us in major trouble with the androids. Especially Cell."

Goku nodded.

He was honestly surprised by how Cell gave everyone the runaway for several days. It was common sense to him if you were tracking a foe that could conceal their energy, then the best course of action was to track the old fashion way while hiding your own energy and using your ears to know how closed you were to your prey. Cell could only move so fast on the ground when lowering his power and he would leave a noticeable trail behind in his rush. Didn't anyone ever track before?

Well, he knew Piccolo certainly didn't. Out of all of them, he relied on his ability to sense energy the most. He was also the best at it, next to him. It was an extremely easy skill to rely on once you learned it. When you could sense energy, you had little reason to use your other senses, especially your eyes.

He had to admit; his other senses weren't as sharped as they used to be after he mastered the ability to feel other people's life forces. He became so efficient in energy sensing that he could track every life force on the planet at once if he chose to. Still, he made an effort to use his other senses often in battle. He didn't want his energy sensing ability to become a crutch.

"Well, how do we track without sensing energy?" Goten asked, his curiosity peaked.

"First, we look for tracks," Goku answered as he walked into the woods.

His sons followed closed, both searching for tracks for their would-be prey. It didn't take long for Goku to find footprints.

"Goten, do you know who these prints belong to?" Goku asked his youngest boy.

Goten stared at the prints. He rubbed his chin. "Umm, looks like a big cat. A sabertooth?"

Goku looked at Gohan. "What do you think, Gohan? Do you agree?"

Gohan tilted his head and folded his arms. "Well, it looks like a sabertooth, but the prints are a little too small." He moved to get a closer look. "Given the spacing and the visibility of the footfalls, I would say...a mountain lion."

He smiled. "Correct, Gohan." He may hadn't hunted in a while, but he remained just as sharp. He waved Goten over. "You see, Goten, a sabertooth is heavier and put more weight on its front legs. A mountain lion has more even prints and is lighter on its feet so it can pounce on its pray faster."

"Wow, you and Gohan are so smart!" Goten exclaimed.

Goku chuckled. "Just experience. Live in these mountains long enough and you can identify any animal from their prints, sounds, and smell."

"Smell?" Goten repeated in confusion.

This got Goku's attention. "Yeah, haven't you noticed? We Saiyans have enhanced sense of smell. Compared to humans at least."

Goten's eyes widened. "I've never noticed. So, I can smell things like a dog?"

"Yeah, if you know what to smell for," Goku answered. He glanced at his eldest son. "Gohan can do it."

"Wow, you're amazing Gohan!" Goten exclaimed with absolute admiration for his older brother.

Gohan laughed meekly while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm good, but dad blows me out of the water. He can find people and things by their scent alone."

"Is it because you're a full Saiyan like Trunks' dad?" Goten asked.

Goku folded his arms and titled his head. "I don't think so. I don't think Vegeta can do it. At least, I've never seen him do it."

For some reason, the thought of Vegeta tracking in the woods was funny to him. Given what a proud piece of work Vegeta was, he probably found hunting and finding his own food beneath him. He was a prince, after all. All his food probably came to him on a silver platter.

"It's most likely environment," Gohan said. "Dad grew up mostly by himself in these mountains. To survive, he had to learn to use all his senses. I read about it in a book long ago."

"Why was dad by himself? Didn't he have a mommy and daddy?" Goten asked.

"We can save that story for another day," Goku said as he glanced at the trail. "If you guys don't mind mountain lion tonight, should we get back to the hunt?"

"Yeah!" both Gohan and Goten cheered.

They were on the trail and Goku used his experience to teach Goten what to looked for in the environment to follow their prey's movements. He also took the time to teach him how to used his sense of smell to observed the world. It was very similar to the lessons he used to give Gohan.

Unlike his oldest son who found sniffing the air and ground to be weird and unsanitary, Goten took to it like a champ. He was the complete opposite of Gohan in almost every way.

While Gohan was serious, hard-pressed, and not easily excitable, Goten was full of energy, easily distracted, and eager to do new things. He heard everyone compared Goten to him, and not just in the looks department, which he personally found to be a cute joke from King Emma. He could see the resemblance. Goten definitely inherited his jest and outlook on life. Although, he didn't recall himself being as...immature as Goten.

He knew most of his friends saw him as a big kid, some outright calling him a child, but he's never been a child in the way humans often were. Human kids, from his experience, liked to play with toys, board games, and hang out with friends doing what children do. The way Goten and Trunks acted were typical human children behavior, although much rougher.

He never has been interested in such things. The closest thing he engaged in that would be called human play was horseplay. When he traveled the world he actually had a hard time relating with children his age. The children he met were heavily depended on their parents, weak, cried a lot, and looked to others to solve their own problems. Because of that, he got along better with the adults, although they often saw him as weird. Not to say he didn't enjoy being around children. He loved them, he just couldn't relate to them.

It was part of the reason why he had such a hard time with Gohan. Despite his son's crybaby tendencies and constant fears, he was quite mature for his age. In fact, he would say Gohan was more mature than him even as child. He was definitely smarter even when he was only four. So, he tended to treat Gohan like a small adult instead of a child. He saw no real problem with him wondering the woods by himself, eating snacks before dinner, training in highly dangerous environments, and getting hurt in battle because he did those things as a kid. Besides, if something went wrong, he was always nearby.

Thing was, Gohan for all his maturity and intelligence, was still a child. He needed and wanted things like a human child. Gohan could lived by himself, fight for himself, and didn't need protection, but he still wanted to be cared for like any kid. Gohan loved being pampered and cuddled. To be in the protective embrace of his parents and told that everything was right in the world. It was one of the reasons he never saw the power that lay within him when it was obvious to everyone else.

Gohan didn't want to be treated like an adult; he wanted to be a kid. It wasn't until the Cell Games that he finally saw that. Perhaps he pushed too much of his own life experience onto Gohan and expected him to react the same way.

Goten, was the opposite. He wanted to be treated as an adult and thrived on winning their respect, but he didn't have the maturity Gohan had. It was the reason why Gotenks for all his power, imagination, and natural ability had such a hard time keeping focused while fighting Buu. That and his arrogance, but that was a different matter and someone else's child.

Goten and Gohan were two opposites who both took parts from him. Gohan took his work ethic and focus while Goten took his childish nature and imagination. At the same time, they were balanced by being raised by their mother, who by most accounts was a normal housewife. They both had emotional needs and wants he never had or really desired. Maybe he did have them at one point, but forgotten after his grandpa died.

"The mountain lion is close," Goku spoke once the scent became particularly strong.

Gohan sniffed the air. "Yeah, you're right."

"The tracks are fresh here, too" Goten said, pointing to the ground. "It must be close by."

Goku nodded. "Good observation, son." He sniffed the air harder. "Drop your energy and tread lightly. It's close. It could be watching us as we speak."

They did what their father told them and stood on alert, watching for any sign of the mountain lion.

Goku already knew where their prey was. He knew since the moment he spoke. He could hear it and saw subtle movements out of the corner of his eyes. He, however, wanted Gohan or Goten to spot it. It would be a good training exercise.

"I see it!" Goten suddenly yelled, frighten the lion off.

Gohan quickly took off after it and within seconds, shot it down with an energy blast. "Got it!"

Goku turned towards Goten. "Son, for future reference, don't shout when you spot your prey."

Goten blushed. "Sorry, I forgot."

Goku chuckled and patted his son's head. "No harm done. Be thankful that Gohan's so fast."

As he spoke, Gohan walked towards the duo with the dead mountain lion hung over his shoulder.

"Well done, Gohan," Goku praised. "You also made sure to make it a clean kill."

"Of course," Gohan said as he put the corpse on the ground. "I didn't want it to suffer." He glanced over the lion's body. "It's a pretty big one, but we need more than just this for dinner." He looked at his father and smiled. "Especially with you around."

Goku laughed and nodded. "Yeah. This mountain lion alone wouldn't feed you and Goten." He paused in thought. "How about you stay here and skin the lion while Goten and I look for other prey. It will save time for your mother, too."

"Sounds good," Gohan said before turning towards Goten. "Now, you mind father. I don't want you cause him any trouble."

Goten smiled before nodding "Okay, Gohan!"

Goku placed a hand back on Goten's head. "Shall we get going?"

With that, the father and son team made their way deeper into the mountains.

* * *

 **We really got into Goku's head this chapter and through some awkward moments with him. Who would have thought so many perks came with being dead? It was really fun to write this since we rarely get to see or even read about Goku's tracking skills. We also get to see him teach his sons something other than fighting.**

 **Next chapter we will get more bonding time with Goten and Gohan.**


	3. A Needed Talk

**Here is the next chapter. Thank you for all your reviews, favorites, and follows. It always good to see people enjoying the story.**

 **Now, onward to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: A Needed Talk**

* * *

They walked until Gohan was well out of sight. Goku stopped and looked at his youngest boy.

"Okay, Goten. Now it's your turn to find prey," Goku said. "Remember everything I taught you and relax."

"Yeah!" Goten exclaimed as he searched the ground, looking for animal tracks and trying to find any type of scent.

"You're trying too hard," Goku said. "Ease up and let things come to you. Trust your instincts."

Goten took a visibly deep breath and tried once again.

Goku overlooked his son's progress with a swell of pride. He already got the idea of the basics. He just needed more fine-tuning. That and becoming more familiar with different scents.

"I….I smell something in the distance," Goten suddenly said. He sniffed the air. "It's...a bear, right?" He turned towards his father for confirmation.

Goku smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's a bear."

Goten was practically jumping up and down. "Oh! We get to eat bear after all! I can't wait!"

He knew Chi-Chi wouldn't be pleased, at all, but he saw nothing wrong with Goten at least trying bear once. It was also a lot of meat, so they could hunt less.

Goku allowed Goten to led the way as they hunted their elusive bear.

As they walked, Goku wrecked his mind for something to talk about. Goten was his son, but he knew almost nothing about him or his interests. Because of Buu, he never got the chance to gained any real insight about his child outside he loved fighting, far more than Gohan ever did, loved toys and sweets, and tended to defer to Trunks when he was around.

That wasn't much to go on. He didn't even know how to even start talking to him. He could talk about fighting, but he wanted to know more about Goten's hobbies.

"So Goten, what stuff you like to do?" he asked. It was a good place to start.

Goten broke away from the trail. "Oh, I have a lot of stuff I like to do. I play with Gohan and when he's busy I go over Trunks' house to play." His eyes became downcast. "Although, Gohan has less time since he started school and Trunks is hanging out with his dad more."

"Vegeta is training Trunks?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Yeah. Trunks and his dad were spending more time together training since they were preparing for the tournament," Goten said.

Goku nodded in understanding.

It made sense. Vegeta would train Trunks with earnest for the World Tournament. The older Saiyan made it quite clear that he wanted Trunks to be stronger than Goten, and possibly even Gohan. Vegeta was beaming with pride when Trunks won, an extension of their eternal rivalry.

Although he could live without Vegeta's gloating, he was happy that Vegeta finally accepted Trunks. Despite living in a room together for a year, Trunks' future counterpart and Vegeta didn't get along. Which was ashamed given that version of Trunks never met his father and Vegeta acted like a complete jerk. Thankfully, Vegeta seemed to learned from past mistakes

"Must be rough," Goku said to his youngest boy, giving him a look of pity

"Well, mom always finds time to play with me. She lets me help in the kitchen like baking cookies. But most days we go out and train when Gohan's studying or at school."

Goku nearly tripped over himself.

It was a shocking that Chi-Chi let Goten anywhere near the kitchen. After a particular incident after they were married, he was barred from ever cooking in the kitchen again. Gohan wasn't even allowed to make toast, forget baking cookies.

But that surprise gave way to another more shocking revelation.

"Your mother trained you?" Goku asked, not believing what he heard. "You mean it wasn't Gohan?"

Goten shook his head. "Nuh-uh, Gohan was too busy. We didn't train together until he entered the tournament. Mom's the one who taught me how to fight."

Goku had to stopped walking when he heard that.

Chi-Chi, _his_ Chi-Chi, taught Goten martial arts? It was the last thing he ever expected. She used to yell at him for even suggesting teaching Gohan basic self-defense, forget martial arts. To hear that she did such a turnaround with their younger son was mind-numbing. It bordered on twilight zone.

"When did your mom start training you?" Goku asked once he regained his bearings and started walking again.

Goten paused in thought. "Umm, I think three or two years ago."

He blinked. That would mean Goten was around four or five, the same age when Gohan was trained by Piccolo. Now he was really confused.

"So you didn't study like Gohan?" he asked further.

Goten shook his head. "She makes me study a little, but only for a few hours. Then, we either train or bake cookies. Mom's rough too."

It was official; he needed to talk to Chi-Chi. Not that he minded Chi-Chi training Goten. On the contrary, she did a great job. Goten was well-trained and could already go Super Saiyan without any ill-effect.

From what he observed Goten's only real shortcomings were his immaturity, he was a child, and not knowing more advance skills, which also made sense since Chi-Chi while well-trained wasn't a master.

Actually when he thought about it both Goten and Chi-Chi lacked discipline. Goten had problems focusing on something for too long and Chi-Chi couldn't control her emotions, especially her temper, which pushed her to make stupid mistakes and rash decisions.

Thinking more about it, that was what severally hampered Gotenks. Both Goten and Trunks were undisciplined kids. Trunks, being the son of Vegeta and Bulma, anger and ego management wouldn't be high on the list. Those things also kept Vegeta stunted.

"Your mom did a good job," Goku said. "You really are a brilliance fighter."

Goten gave a wide grin. "Awe, you think so? I'm nowhere near as good as Trunks and Gohan, though. I can't even touch big brother."

"Well, you wouldn't be as good as Gohan. He's been fighting and training much longer than you," Goku answered. "Trunks is also stronger because he's older."

He didn't want to add that Gohan had more natural talent than Goten. Gohan had more raw talent than anyone on the planet, probably even the universe. Trunks had the benefit of training with Vegeta who despite his shortcomings was one of the strongest people in the universe.

"If you like, how would you like to be train by me?" he asked.

Goten's eyes widened. "You'll train me!"

Goku laughed. "Of course. You're very talented. We just need to fine tune your training more." He gave a wolfish smile. "And with enough practice, you may even surpass Trunks."

Goten was practically shaking in excitement. "Wow! Look out Trunks! I'll finally be able to beat you!"

"Hold on there, it won't happen overnight," Goku chuckled. "You have to work hard and I'm not a soft teacher."

"That's okay. You can't be nearly as bad as mom," Goten said.

He really needed to see one of their training sessions. He fought Chi-Chi before, a lot when they first got married, and she didn't strike him as a taskmaster, in martial arts at least. Then again, his wife has changed a lot since he's been gone. He doubted he really knew her anymore.

"Dad?" Goten suddenly spoke up.

He looked at his youngest boy. "Yes, son."

"Do you think if I train enough, I can become stronger than big brother?" Goten asked.

Goku thought carefully about how he should answered that. "If you trained hard enough, it is possible."

It wasn't a lie. If Goten put years of dedicated training into improving himself, he could catch Gohan. Wasn't he the one who told Vegeta that even a nobody like him could surpass an elite through hard work. Granted, he wasn't the best example since he actually had more talent than Vegeta, but he still firmly believed this. Under the right conditions, hard work could beat untrained talent.

"We better get moving before that bear gets too far away," Goku said, breaking out of his thoughts.

It took closed to an hour to find the bear in question since Goku allowed Goten to do all the tracking. Goku helped guide Goten when he got off-track or needed a clue to what to do next, but overall he was largely hands-off.

When they finally got back to where Gohan was, he not only had the mountain lion skinned, but also chopped and wrapped, ready for travel. He also had herbs around him, showing that he foraged while they were gone.

"Hey, took you guys long enough," Gohan lightly teased.

"Took us a while to find the bear," Goku said before patting Goten's head. "Goten tracked the bear all by himself and killed it."

Goten held his prized up proudly. "And I didn't sense energy or anything!"

Gohan smiled in equal pride. "Great job, Goten! You're becoming quite the little hunter."

"And guess what!" Goten exclaimed as he dropped the bear in front of Gohan. "Dad's going to train me!"

"Really? Can't say I'm too surprise," Gohan said, ready to start skinning the bear.

"You can train with us too, if you're not busy," Goku said to his eldest.

"I don't mind. I just have to find time between school and stuff," Gohan said while he skinned the bear.

Goten side-eyed his brother. "Is that other stuff Videl?"

This made Gohan sputtered. "Huh...of course not... We're just friends..."

"Friends, huh?" Goten asked, not believing him at all.

"You do seem to have feelings for her," Goku noted. "Didn't you call her your girlfriend?"

"I did not," Gohan said defensively.

"No, you did," Goku said before smiling. "I recall you saying, 'there's no way I'm letting that relic kiss my girlfriend'."

Now Gohan was blushing. "Well...you shouldn't have asked me to let Videl kiss that prune. Besides, she'd kill that old man."

Goku laughed. "Can't argue with that." He paused in thought. "Although, I wonder if he still wants that kiss from Bulma?"

Gohan chuckled at the question. "Well, if Bulma doesn't kill him, Vegeta will."

"Aren't that the truth," Goku said while laughing.

"Who did you promise to kiss Bulma?" Goten asked, completely lost.

"One of the Kais that helped Gohan," Goku answered. "He's the reason why Gohan became super powerful to fight Buu."

"Really? What was the Kai like?" Goten asked with his usual excitement.

Gohan hummed, trying to find the correct words to decided Old Kai. "Very...eccentric."

Goten tilted his head. "What does eccentric mean?"

"It means weird," Goku simplified. "But weird or not, he saved our butts more than once. Both with powering up Gohan and for giving us those earrings. Not to mention letting Vegeta and me trash their planet."

"And for reviving you," Gohan added softly. He looked up at his father. "He actually brought you back to us."

Goku smiled. "Yeah, funny how that worked out."

"You said that some old guy revived you," Goten said. "He did it so you can fight Majin Buu, right?"

Goku nodded. "Gohan was doing very well against Buu. He would have won for sure, but then Buu cheated and absorbed you and Piccolo. He used yours and Trunks' power and Piccolo's knowledge to brutalized Gohan." His anger rose as he spoke, although he managed to keep his voice relatively calm.

It was one thing to beat his son and to absorb his youngest boy, but the way he emotionally destroyed Gohan was what really pissed him off. If he had the power, he would have ripped that monster apart without fusion.

Then he took Gohan, his last living family member, and had the nerves to called him dad. It was at that moment that he truly hated Buu and felt a strong sense of pleasure beating him up as Vegeto. Him toying and tormenting Buu weren't all just to anger him into absorbing. Ashamed he had to throw the fight for the plan to work. As much as both him and Vegeta wanted to finish off that monster, neither one of them could stomach the thought of murdering their children.

At least that version of Majin Buu was gone for good. He didn't even have a soul that would go to Hell. Still, a part of him was upset that he didn't personally kill that monster. Him simply melting away seemed too good for him.

Goten lowered his head. "I...remember nothing after Buu took me. I remember some sludge covering me and it being really nasty and then...nothing."

"Yeah, my memory is the same." Gohan started to sneer. "I can't believe I was so careless to get absorbed. I should have known Buu would pull something like that after what he did to Gotenks and Piccolo," he growled. He was literally shaking.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault. Buu outsmarted us all. We all greatly underestimated how intelligent he was, especially after he took Piccolo," Goku assured. "I should'd acted faster and done the fusion with you the moment I arrived. Or, I should'd attacked Buu myself to give you an opening to finish him."

Gohan looked at his dad. "You told me once that it was pointless to worry about what could have been. We both could have done things differently. But...despite the beating Buu gave me, I'm happy that it happened."

Goku stared at his son.

"If it didn't, then you would still be dead. I mean, I wish I didn't have to still depend on you to save me, but...when I saw you...I couldn't help feeling happy," Gohan stuttered, coming close to tears. "I knew then that no matter what happened with Buu, things were going to work out."

"You are aware that you and your brother died when the planet exploded," Goku pointed out.

"Thankfully, I wasn't conscious when I died," Gohan laughed humorlessly before lowing his head. "I actually don't have any memories of being dead."

"Me either," Goten said. His voice was low and somber, so unlike him. "I think I heard voices or something and then nothing. When I came too, I was back on Earth."

Goku sighed. He was thankful it was quick. After dying twice, one from a planet size explosion, he didn't want his sons to remembered that kind of pain.

Although, they probably didn't remembered right now because they're still in shock. They were forcibly taking by Buu, made part of the demon, before dying in an explosion. It was too much information for anyone to take all at once; on top of the other trauma they suffered that day. In time, they may come to remember dying. He prayed to the Kais that they didn't.

"We better get this stuff back to house. It will be late soon," Gohan said as he finished skinning the bear and proceeded to cut the meat to make it easier to carry.

When they were done, they flew back to the house. A walk that took them over an hour was done in less than five minutes.

As soon as they landed, Goten rushed into the house with his haul. "Mom, look at the stuff we caught!"

"Goten! Is that a bear!?" Chi-Chi screamed.

"Ah-huh, I tracked it myself," Goten said with complete pride in his voice. "Dad was teaching me to hunt by finding tracks and using my sense of smell. Did you know that I can smell like a dog?"

"Oh for the love of everything! Goku, I told you no bear!" Chi-Chi scolded as Goku and Gohan walked into the house.

"Well, I thought it would be okay if he just try some, even once. Besides, the bear meat should keep us fill for the rest of the night along with the mountain lion."

Chi-Chi sighed. "I swear, you Saiyans will eat any weird thing. Yet, I can't get you to eat carrots." She rubbed her forehead.

Goku chuckled.

She sighed as she calmed down. "Well, get clean up. It's going to take awhile to cook all this meat."

The boys went to the bathroom to wash and since dinner would be awhile, Goten decided to spend his time playing with some of the toys he borrowed from Trunks.

Gohan was about to go to his room to catch up on his studies when Goku tapped on the shoulder.

"Hey, do you want to come outside and spar for a bit?" Goku asked.

He smiled and nodded. "Sure, dad. Let me get my gi."

After Gohan was dressed, they walked a little ways from the house so nothing would get damaged if things got too out of hand.

"Come at me with everything you have. Hold nothing back," Goku said as he got into battle stance. "Show me all that you've learned."

Gohan narrowed his eyes and nodded.

In less than a second, Gohan was right in his father's face and attempted to punch him. Goku deflected the punch and evaded a kick from his son.

For several minutes, this went on. Gohan would attack and Goku mostly defended, although he did hit his son whenever he left an opening or was caught off-guard.

"Focus, Gohan," Goku advised as he blocked another hit and slapped his son across the cheek. "Feel and predict my movements, not just react."

Gohan took the advice and sharpened his attacks and movements.

He was doing much better, managing to hit Goku several times, but he still took more overall damage.

Goku groaned under his breath.

Gohan's skills were a little rusty, but the boy hit like a freight train with every hit. Just blocking or deflecting was causing him pain.

His speed wasn't bad either. Gohan was actually faster than him, but his battle instincts and reflexes were _much_ sharper. It also helped that Gohan was overall predictable since he knew his son's movements by heart. His fighting style hadn't really evolved since they trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Nonetheless, he was still very impressed.

He managed to lock Gohan's fists in place and freeze his movements. "You're really something else. From the way you fought against Dabura to now, you're like a completely different person. Your strength and speed, I can't even compare." He chuckled. "To think, all this power laid sleeping within you all this time. It's almost frightening."

Gohan smiled. "And yet, you can still hold me at bay. Even if we fought all out, there's no guarantee I would win."

Goku returned the smile. "You give yourself too little credit, son. Between training with the Z Sword and Old Kai increasing your power and speed beyond anything it was before, you would beat me in an all out fight. I only have a remote chance against you because your fighting instincts are still off," Goku observed as they broke away from one another. "With the power you have now and the instincts and reflexes you had seven years ago, I wouldn't even have a chance."

Gohan gave a meek smile and his eyes became downcast. "Vegeta told you and you saw for yourself. I allowed myself to get rusty. I'm not the person I was seven years ago."

Goku was silent for several seconds. "Gohan, do you hate fighting that much?"

Gohan lowered his head, looking almost ashamed. He refused to meet his father's eyes and it was obvious that he didn't want to speak his true feelings.

"Gohan, you can always tell me anything," he assured in his softest, most gentle voice. It was the same voice he used to calm Gohan when he was a child and frightened. "No matter what you tell me now, I won't think any less of you."

Gohan remained quiet and Goku became afraid that his son had shut him down. He wrecked his brain, thinking of how he could make his son opened up to him.

"It..it isn't that I don't like martial arts," Gohan suddenly spoke, startling his dad. "I do enjoy sparring with you and Piccolo when he's around. Sparring with Goten when I was preparing for the tournament was fun and I enjoyed teaching Videl how to fly. I enjoy the sport of fighting, challenging myself, and bonding with those I love. But...I don't like hurting and...killing people." His eyes narrowed and Goku saw the flash of pain. "I can't stand always fighting for my life and the lives of others all the time. I don't want to spend my entire life fighting. I'm...I'm just not a warrior like Vegeta, Piccolo, and you. I never was. And...I never want to be..."

Goku was quiet. He had a completely blank expression.

Gohan took several deep breaths. "What I want...what I always wanted was a somewhat normal life. A life where I use my strength to saved and protect others and this world. Not to kill. Not to fight for glory. Not to be the strongest... I want a life that's more than fighting and endless battles."

Goku remained silence for several minutes before nodding in resignation. "I see..."

"Are...you mad at me?" Gohan asked fearfully. His voice was literally trembling. Despite almost being an adult, he still wanted his father's approval.

Goku sighed before giving a small, somewhat sad smile. "I'm not mad. I won't lie, though; I was very disappointed when I saw your performance against Dabura. He was an opponent that you would have beating with ease at your peak." He rubbed a hand through his wild hair. "It's just...when I saw you again after so long I'd hoped you would be so _much_ stronger. Far stronger than me. Than anyone. You have a gift, Gohan. One that greatly exceeds my own. Just by unlocking your power, looked how powerful you've become."

"If I could, I would give it all to you," Gohan admitted. "You would make far better use of it."

Goku shook his head. "I disagree. You don't like to fight, but you still do it to protect everyone, even the people you don't know. You are so much nobler than me. That's why, I believe, you were given such wonderful talent. You have the power to save the universe."

"I don't want to save the universe. Saving and protecting this world is enough for me," Gohan said.

Goku smiled and chuckled. "And I respect that. If you don't want to fight, then I won't force you. Life's too short...too precious to do something you don't absolutely love. If you never go into battle again, that's fine with me."

"I'm so happy to hear that," Gohan sighed. His shoulders relaxed and he looked closed to tear.

Goku could see and hear the relief in his son's voice and demeanor. He really had been carrying this for a long time. His son was actually terrified that he would disapprove of his life choices.

A pang of guilt shoot through him.

He didn't mean for Gohan to feel that he had to do something he didn't like. He also didn't know that his son craved his approval this much. Yes, he knew his son deeply admired him, often reaching the point of hero-worshipping, but not to this point. Not to the point that Gohan was willing to sacrificed his own personal happiness just to stratify him.

"Since you...died, I was afraid I was letting you down," Gohan spoke barely above a whisper. "You depended on me to protect the Earth and...I couldn't save it from Buu."

Goku shook his head. "There's no point worrying about things we can't change. You did the best with what you had and you did save Earth. Everyone did when they gave me energy to beat Majin Buu."

Gohan's eyes became downcast again. "It always seems that I'm depending on you to save me and clean up my mistakes. ...Just like back then as well."

Goku tilted his head at the mention of 'then'. "You mean Cell?"

His son nodded. "I had the power to destroy Cell at my finger tips and I wasted it. Because I became arrogant in my power...you had to sacrifice yourself. You even encouraged me from the grave when I had given up. Without you, Cell would have won."

"It was the only thing I could do," Goku answered, slightly confused about what was bothering Gohan. "Even if you grow thousands of times stronger than me, I will always protect you."

Gohan became quiet again.

"You still blame yourself?" Goku asked, although it was more of a statement.

"I can't help but to feel guilty," Gohan said under his breath.

Goku walked over to his son and grabbed his shoulders, gently squeezing them. "You were never the one at fault. If anyone was to blame for what happened, besides Cell, it's me."

Gohan gave his dad a baffled look.

"I should have prepared you better, mentally. You had the talent, but I didn't see that you didn't care for battle the way I do. I put too much of myself into you," Goku said before sighing. "But most of all, I should have prepared you for what might've happened once you ascended."

Gohan looked at his hand. "The rage?"

Goku nodded as he let go of his son's shoulders. "The rage of the Super Saiyan. I felt it too when I first transformed. I thought it wouldn't affect you since you're half-human and you handled becoming a Super Saiyan much easier than me. But...the way you transformed was different from mines. When you became a Super Saiyan it was in a control environment and there was no enemy to fight. The way you ascended to fight Cell was a mirror of my battle with Frieza. I should have seen you would've reacted the same way I did and become lost in vengeance and bloodlust."

"How did you control it? How did you bring yourself back from the rage?" Gohan asked.

"Truth of the matter, I'm not sure myself," Goku answered bluntly. He had a distant expression on his face. "I somehow managed to regain some of my sanity, even it was just a little. But...major damage was done. Namek was destroyed and I wasn't myself for a very long time."

"But you got through it," Gohan said.

"Painfully," Goku added somberly. "And...I'm sorry you had to go through that. If I could've, I would have taken the burden myself and carried you just a bit longer."

Gohan suddenly gave his father a curious look. "Dad...there's something I wanted to ask you since I learned that you could become an ascended Super Saiyan."

Goku looked at his son, waiting for the question.

"Why didn't you handle Cell yourself? Why did you leave him to me?" Gohan asked.

He wasn't expected that question. "Because you were the only one who could. I fought Cell with everything I had and couldn't beat him."

Gohan nodded. "That's true, but you could have gotten stronger before the Cell Games. Before everything with Buu, I was always led to believe that an ascended Super Saiyan was something only I could do because of my hidden power. But, not only can both Vegeta and you ascend, you can go a level beyond. Vegeta, I can understand, but couldn't you ascend past Super Saiyan to fight Cell? You must have known how to do it since you knew I could."

Goku folded his arms and became very uncomfortable. "Because I couldn't."

Now Gohan was confused.

"You're right. I knew about an ascended Super Saiyan. I knew because for a brief moment, you became one," Goku said.

"What!? Really!?" Gohan exclaimed in shock.

"You passed out the moment you did, but you definitely became one," Goku said. "That's when I knew what we were pursuing wasn't a fantasy and that overly musclier form I took wasn't it, thankfully. So, I attempted to replicate the results while you rested."

"And you couldn't do it," Gohan concluded.

Goku chuckled somberly. "Actually, I did."

"You...you became a Super Saiyan 2?" Gohan stuttered in disbelief. "But you just said..."

"I became one, but I couldn't maintain it," Goku cut off. "I could only be an ascended Super Saiyan for several seconds before the transformation failed."

This left Gohan baffled. "But...you can do it now? Why couldn't you then?"

Goku tapped his fingers to his chest. "My heart couldn't handle it. When I went Super Saiyan 2, I was seized by terrible chest pains that left me gasping for air and I nearly lost consciousness. That's why my transformation failed."

He didn't say that his heart actually stopped for several seconds, he vomited blood, and thought he was going to die. Gohan really didn't need to know that part. Thank the Kais that Gohan was especially tired that day and didn't sense anything.

"Chest pains..." Gohan whispered before his eyes widened in horror. "The virus! It damaged your heart, didn't it!?"

Goku gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I noticed a subtle different in it, but it never bother me so I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until I tried to ascend that I realized what the virus did to me." He sighed. "I'd reached my limit because my heart couldn't take the abuse of all that power."

Gohan's entire body shook from the revelation. "I should've known. After seeing what that virus did to you...your heart wouldn't be the same. Not after something like that." He was closed to tears. "And...you had no time to rest after getting over your illness and you did that year of hard training in the Time Chamber. Who knows how much damage you've done to your heart... If we had gotten you home sooner..."

"That was no one's fault except mines. I should have stopped the battle with that android the moment I felt something was wrong. But I let my pride to get the best of me," Goku said. He was still somewhat bitter that android beat him. "Because of my stubbornness, I crippled myself and made myself useless to everyone."

Gohan shook his head. "That...that explained why you were so ill that time in the chamber. You told me that you were just overworked." He growled at himself and clutched his hands. "I'm such a fool! Why didn't I realize!? That's why you were exhausted for two days with a high fever."

Goku chuckled, but there was no humor behind it. "Took me awhile to convince you that it was only exhaustion and I didn't have a relapse."

"Are...are you okay now? Since you've been revived..." Gohan asked hesitantly.

Goku smiled and lightly pounded his chest. "My heart is fine. Healthier than ever. When Old Kai revived me, he brought me back in peak condition. I'm actually better than I was before I got sick." He flexed his fingers. "Although, I'm still not used to having a living body. Being dead did have its perks, like the endless energy and endurance, but I'm happy to be alive."

Gohan sighed in relief. "Thank god. I didn't want to think we could lose you again so soon. Especially to that virus."

"Yeah, things are looking good," Goku said with some humor. "Funny enough, I didn't have a heart while I was dead. Well, I had no organs at all since my body was a reconstruction. Having a heartbeat was the first thing I noticed upon my revival."

"So, I really was the last hope for Earth," Gohan whispered in a somber tone, not really paying attention to his father. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would it have made a different?" Goku asked.

"I may have been more prepared to fight Cell. If I was, you guys wouldn't have been tortured by the Cell Jrs and Android 16 would not have been killed," Gohan said with some heat.

"Well, I honestly thought you knew you were stronger than me, especially after seeing my fight with Cell. Sheesh, there were several times where you nearly killed me while we trained. In those last weeks, I could barely keep up with you," Goku admitted before he turned his head away from his son. "And...I didn't want anyone to know about my problem until the Earth was saved."

Gohan blinked. "Why? They would have understood and tried to help you."

Goku glanced at Gohan. "I've come to realize that almost everyone depends on me not just to be their protector, but to also be their emotional anchor. If they knew that I was crippled and sick and couldn't save them no matter how hard I trained, everyone would have lost hope and wouldn't have fought at their absolute best. I believe it's the same with you, right?"

Gohan fell silent, which told him everything.

His son hated it, but he depended on him, both emotionally and physically, even now. Gohan admitted as much when he told Goten that his hope was restored when he arrived to saved them from Buu, despite his son surpassing him in raw power.

He didn't realized it himself how much his friends and family depended on him for moral support until the androids came. When he was sick and unable to even move he felt his friends lose hope despite still having Vegeta and Piccolo, who reunited with Kami, around. Trunks was closed to outright giving up. When he showed even small signs of improvement, his friends became overjoyed and hoped he would wake up soon to fight the androids.

A small part of him was kinda annoyed by that. He was in unimaginable agony to the point he wanted to rip his own heart out and his blood felt like it was on fire, and all they could talked about was him getting well and saving them.

Yeah, he understood that they were scared with the androids running around with Cell drinking people to become stronger and hunting 17 and 18 to become perfect and they needed every strong fighter that they could get their hands on. But they could've at least waited until he could at least move before wanting to throw him onto the battlefield. He was also weaker than the androids at the time so what exactly did they expect him to do, pull a miracle? Despite what some of his friends believed, he wasn't a god.

Chi-Chi was justifiable pissed at them.

At the same time, he couldn't be mad. From the story Trunks told, everyone died because he wasn't around to help. Bulma from the future went out of her way to give him medicine for the virus and not just warned everyone about the incoming androids. He knew she did it to saved a dear friend, but also because she saw his survival as critical.

When he returned, mostly healthy, he felt everyone's hope returned even in the likes of Piccolo, despite being more or less useless at that moment.

Somewhere along the line of becoming their hero, he also became their hope. Their light in the darkness that told them that everything would work out. It didn't even mattered if he fought or wasn't the strongest, just him being there was enough.

Because he was their hope, he acted accordingly. He never fully told his friends how bad things were and tried to keep everyone optimistic. He purposely acted overly happy and confident during the days before the Cell Games to assure everyone and keep them calm; while at the same time warning them that he couldn't save them. Telling everyone up front that he could _never_ surpass Cell because of his damaged heart and Gohan was their only hope wouldn't had inspired confidence and would only put undo pressure on Gohan.

His friends saw Gohan as a mere boy, despite everything he's been through from the Saiyan Invasion, to Namek, to that moment with Cell. Which was really unfair since Gohan was a brilliance fighter, if not a bit uninspired when it came to keeping up his training. Really, the only thing holding Gohan back from greatness was his lack of confidence.

It was the same with Buu. Despite being dead for seven years, they still looked to him for hope. He wanted to save them since it was partly his fault that Buu was revived, but it wasn't his place. Not anymore. He was of the dead. It wasn't his place to protect the living, which was why his memories of life were taken. He _couldn't_ let them depend on him again. Someone else needed to be their champion, their light of hope. If he didn't, this world could someday end up like Trunks' time.

No matter how many times he thought about it, he couldn't understand why the Gohan of that time couldn't beat the androids. In thirteen years, he should have long surpassed them, especially if they were weaker than the androids of this time. With less than of year of training, Gohan was able to mastered Super Saiyan and could had fought Cell evenly without ascending past Super Saiyan. The same was also true of Trunks, who was able to stand up to Cell's less perfect form.

So, what made them so ineffective in that future?

He could only conclude that it was because Gohan depended on him. When he died in that other time, it seemed that Gohan lost his way and couldn't find himself again, which also affected Trunks since Gohan was his master. If that Gohan truly had confidence in himself and his inborn power, he would have beating those androids instead of being murdered by them.

That Gohan failed because he was living within his shadow, despite having a power that dwarfed his.

Which was why he decided that no matter what he wouldn't jump in to help his son. Even as Cell beat and crushed his boy, he wouldn't interfere. Gohan would ether fly or die. If Gohan was destine to be killed by Cell, he would at least die in battle and not slaughter liked a helpless lamb. Gohan _needed_ to be able to stand on his own and defend this world. He needed to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was better than him. That he didn't need daddy to protect him anymore. It was also why he allowed Cell to have a senzu bean. It was both to have a fair fight and give Cell and Gohan the knowledge that even at Cell's best he never stood a chance.

Granted, there was some indirect revenge happening too. He _wanted_ Cell to pay for his crimes just as much as Gohan, perhaps even more. He wanted to give Cell a similar punishment he gave Frieza. He wanted Cell to die in despair knowing that his 'perfect' power was dwarfed by a child. For an egoistic bastard like him, it was the best and most fitting punishment. After what he, and the other androids, done to the future he deserved to suffer.

Goku laughed bitterly to himself. What he did to Gohan was utterly pointless. Even without Piccolo's yelling and accusing him of being heartless, he would have eventually jumped in to save his son. He couldn't be cold-hearted no matter how hard he tried.

If he were, he would have allowed Cell to kill him instead of giving up. He thought about it, moments before surrendering to Cell. If he died fighting Cell, it would've enraged Gohan and give him the motivation needed to ascend and destroy the android. Just like Krillin did for him against Frieza.

He couldn't do it.

Gohan may have ascended, but he couldn't put his boy through that kind of anguish. Not purposely. Besides, his death would've most likely had the opposite effect. Seeing their light of hope destroyed would've broken everyone's spirits most likely. It certainly did when Cell did kill him.

Why was he even still thinking about this? It was pointless. It was even more pointless more since he was revived.

It was odd and ironic that they all saw him as hope when _he_ was the one who brought most of the evil into their lives. Without him, most of his friends would be leading much more peaceful lives.

"It's that why he didn't want to be revive?" Gohan whispered, breaking Goku out of his musings. "Because we put too much pressure on you? That you wanted me and the others to step up and take care of ourselves?"

His eyes widened in both shock and horror. "Of course not! It may not be healthy to always depend on me, but the reasons why I wanted to stay dead were the reasons I gave."

"That you were the reason why the Earth was always in danger," Gohan said.

Goku nodded. "Half of what happened to this world wouldn't have been if I wasn't here. I may have saved the world, but most of it was just me cleaning up the mess I inadvertently made."

Gohan gave him a hard stare. "Is that how you see yourself to us? As a curse?"

Goku looked towards the sky, unable to look at his son. "At times...yes."

Gohan shook his head. "That's a selfish way of thinking."

Goku blinked in confusion.

"You may have caused some bad stuff to happen, but that doesn't outweighs what you mean to me. To all of us!" Gohan said, raising his voice. "Can't you see, you're far more than just this world's protector! They are people you left behind that saw you as something more. As a friend, as a husband, and...as a father."

"Which is why I stood away," Goku said, baffled by Gohan's words.

Gohan stared at his father. "You really don't see it. You're really are that blind."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know what to tell you. I understand you all care for me, but that doesn't mean much if the world gets destroyed because of someone who holds a grudged against me."

"So are you going to kill yourself?" Gohan asked bitterly.

"What?" Goku asked in complete taken aback. That was the last question he expected.

"Are you going to kill yourself? You see your life as a curse on us, then you must want to die again," Gohan stated coldly.

He did have a point. If he truly believed what he was saying, he would die again or at least leave the planet to assure everyone's safety. Yet...

"No. I don't want to die," Goku answered.

"Why?" Gohan asked harshly.

"Because...because I want to spend the time I lost with my family," Goku replied. "I realized that when I saw you and Goten. Seeing you grow so much and...I had no part in it. And to see a child that I've never met or even knew existed. I missed his birth, his first steps, his first words. ...I missed so much. I don't want to miss anymore." He smiled without humor. "I guess no matter how noble I try to act, I'm really selfish. Even if I am a curse. Even if I do bring destruction to this world. I want to be with my family again."

Gohan's face softened. "Maybe it is selfish, but I don't care." His eyes moistened. "I don't care if one of your old enemies come for revenge. I don't care if the world does end because of you. I just want my father by my side and...Goten deserves his dad...mom deserves her husband. _We_ deserve to be a family."

Goku blinked, feeling his own eyes moisten. He managed to shake it off. "I want that too. More than anything."

Gohan suddenly reached over and grabbed him, pulling him into a tight hug. The hug was much stronger and deeper than the one he gave him when he thought it was their final goodbye. Gohan also didn't appear to be in any hurry to let go. It almost hurt, but...he didn't mind. In fact, he didn't want him to let go.

"I missed you so much," his son whispered in his ear.

Goku lifted an arm and returned the hug. "I missed you too, my son."

There they stood, until Chi-Chi called them in for dinner.

* * *

 **The longest chapter of this story so far. There was a lot that needed to be said between Goku and Gohan and there is actually more that needs to be said. Hopefully I kept Goku in character given the deep subject matter and how we rarely if ever see Goku's thoughts.**

 **On a lighter note, hope you guys enjoyed Goku's interaction with Goten. Strangely, I found those scenes harder to write than Gohan's. Mostly because I wasn't sure what they would talk about.**

 **Until next chapter, take care.**


	4. Bonding

**The next chapter is here and ready for your enjoyment. Thank you all again for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Your feedback helps me make a better an stronger story. I am especially happy that so many of you liked last chapter. Hopefully, I can keep up the pace.**

 **Now, the the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Bonding**

* * *

The first official meal as a family was a hectic event. Chi-Chi had her hands full feeding three hungry Saiyans. Goku alone ate as much as Gohan and Goten combined, so it felt like four to her.

Goku truly enjoyed having his wife's cooking. He could cook bear and mountain lion, but Chi-Chi really made them delightful, despite her not caring for the food choices. He was certain that cooking was Chi-Chi's special talent. It surpassed anything made in Heaven. Well, except for that cake planet, but that was a completely different story.

The only thing that bummed him out was that he could no longer eat an unlimited amount of food, now that he had a stomach again. It was a strange give and take. When he was dead he could eat as much as he wanted, but the food was usually mediocre to lousy with few exceptions. Now that he was alive and the food was yummy he was limited because of his stomach and how much a person could cook. He supposed one couldn't have everything.

"How is everything?" Chi-Chi once she finished eating.

"It's good, mom!" Gohan answered with a mouth full of food.

"Great!" Goten exclaimed, spitting some of his food out.

"Wonderful!" Goku declared with his own mouth full of food.

Chi-Chi sighed. "What did I tell you about talking with your months full?"

"Sorry," all three of them said, still having food in their mouths, causing Chi-Chi to sigh again.

"Goku, we'll go shopping tomorrow for your clothes," Chi-Chi told him.

Goku swallowed. "But I wanted to spend more time with the boys."

"You can spend time with them later. Besides, Gohan has school tomorrow," Chi-Chi said.

"Aw mom," Gohan grumbled.

Chi-Chi shook her head. "I know you want to spend more time with your father, but you can't neglect your school work. You've already missed an entire mouth preparing for the tournament. You worked too hard trying to get into a good high school to throw it away."

"What's school like?" Goku asked in curiosity.

"Oh, it's great. It's very different from anything I've ever done. Although, trying to keep my powers on the down low is tough," Gohan answered.

Goku tilted his head. "Why would you hide your power?"

"Well, I don't want people to know who and what we are. I mean...can you imagine living like Mr. Satan?" Gohan asked.

Goku folded his arms. "I guess not, but I still don't see why you have to hide what you can do. I didn't when I was young."

"But you weren't in school either," Gohan pointed out. "From the stories I were told, you spent most of your childhood living in the mountains and wondering the world."

He smiled at the memories. "Aw yeah. Good times."

"And Gohan's a superhero," Goten suddenly spoke up, swallowing his rice. "He has to have a secret identity and stuff."

Goku blinked. "A superhero?"

"Yeah. You remember the costume I wore at the World Martial Arts Tournament, the Great Saiyaman," Gohan answered with a lot of pride.

"Oh, you mean that wasn't something you did just for the tournament?" Goku asked in mild surprise. "You do that normally?"

Gohan smiled. "Of course! Bulma designed the costume herself. You should see my poses. I practice them every night."

"Poses?" Goku questioned further.

"Yeah, there're really cool!" Goten proclaimed. "You got to show him, Gohan."

Goku began to sweat drop. Was this an effect of him being dead?

"Oh, I will. Maybe you can even go crime fighting with me," Gohan said in excitement.

"I'm not wearing a costume," Goku stated in a dry tone.

"But dad, you don't want people to know who you are," Gohan said.

"I don't care who knows who I am," Goku said in a matter-of-fact voice.

If the press or something came to the house, he would just destroy the cameras. That should get the message across for them to go away.

"When I grow up, I'm going to be a superhero just like Gohan and fly around saving the world!" Goten declared.

"Well, before then, you need to wash up. You're filthy from all that hunting," Chi-Chi said, picking up the dishes.

Goten sunk at the mention of washing up.

"Since your father and I will be going out tomorrow, you will be spending the morning with Trunks. I don't want to hear about you two causing any mischief," Chi-Chi said as she put the dishes in the sink.

Goten sighed and nodded. "Okay..."

"Gohan, what made you decide to go to high school, anyway?" Goku asked. "I thought you were happy being home schooled."

"Well, I was, but I wanted to go a real high school and get some life experience. Get to know regular people my age and live like everyone else," Gohan said as he finished his dinner.

"But you can't really relate to them," Goku stated bluntly.

Gohan shrugged. "Maybe so, but I still want to try. Haven't you ever wondered what it's like to be normal?"

Goku thought about the question. "Actually, no. I just never really got normal people. In honesty most of them come across as dull. And fragile."

"I can see why you would think that, but I met many interesting people at my school," Gohan said before smiling. "Maybe you should visit someday."

It was a curiosity. He had never been to school before. The closest he had ever gotten to a school environment was when Master Roshi taught him and he found that to be mind-numbingly boring. He has seen others go to school as he traveled the world, but it was something that never interested him. If it didn't relate to martial arts or survival, he had little used for it.

Still, school was a part of his son's life and he owed it to him to at least look.

"Can I come too?" Goten asked. "I always wanted to see your school."

"Maybe during family day or something," Gohan offered.

"That's enough stalling, Goten. Into the bath with you," Chi-Chi ordered.

Goten grumbled at he jumped from the table and made his way to the bathroom.

"Goku, why don't you go and take a bath outside," Chi-Chi suggested. "After everything, you need a deep clean."

Goku stared at his wife, not sure what she was saying. He couldn't smell that much. He did have shower just a few hours ago. But, there's no point arguing with her. He wasn't going to win and he wanted the day to end peacefully.

"Okay." He turned towards his son. "Do you want to bathe with me?"

"Dad!" Gohan exclaimed before blushing.

He tilted his head. "What?"

Gohan quickly calmed down. "Uhmm...just that I'm too old for that."

Goku still didn't get it. "How are you too old?"

Gohan opened and closed his mouth several times.

He knew it was impossible to explain to his dad that it wasn't socially acceptable for a teenager to take a bath with their fathers. On a personal level, he didn't mind and would love to bathe with his dad. It would be just like old times. But, he felt pressured not to engaged in such activities.

"Gohan has a lot of studying to catch up on, so he can take a bath later," Chi-Chi answered, bailing her son out.

Gohan gave his mom a grateful smile.

"Oh," Goku said as he stood up. "Well, maybe next time then."

He walked out the door and went to retrieve the firewood near the house. When he reached the barrel he was surprised to find a layer of dust on it. Although it has been maintained, it hadn't been used in a long time. He supposed Gohan no longer liked outdoor baths and Goten doesn't take them. What a shamed.

It took a few minutes to get the fire ready and fill the barrel with water. It took closed to an hour, however, for the water to finally get hot enough for him. By the time he jumped in, the water was boiling hot and stream was rapidly rising. It was more like a stew than a bath.

He sighed as he enjoyed the water.

This was so much like the hot springs in Heaven. Except their water could get even hotter there, especially the one that was next to a volcano.

He became so relaxed that he felt his eyes closes and the world fade around him.

"GOKU!"

He nearly jumped out of his skin and looked around in shock, searching for any danger. It took him several seconds to realize that it was his wife, who was staring angrily at him.

"Chi-Chi?" he asked.

"You fell asleep in the barrel," she scolded. "You could have falling over and drowned."

He was going to say that was unlikely, but she did have a point. This wasn't like the Otherworld were sleeping in water wasn't a big deal. He also didn't expect to fell asleep like that. He was still getting used to drowsiness.

"Sorry, I'll be more careful," he assured.

Chi-Chi shook her head as she proceeded to take off her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Goku asked.

"I'm getting ready to climb in with you. I need a bath myself after cleaning that bear and cooking dinner," she answered.

"But the bath is really hot," he warned.

She smiled. "Goku, I'm used to your boiling hot baths. I bathe with you before, remember?"

He actually didn't remembered. The last time Chi-Chi went into the barrel with him was before Gohan was born. At least as far as he could recall. It was one of their first real bonding experiences after they were married.

Once she was stripped, she climbed up and slowly lowered herself into the barrel. She winced when she felt how hot the water was. Still, she slowly lowered herself until she was fully submerged.

"I swear, why do you make the water so hot?" Chi-Chi complained. "It's like you're trying to cook yourself."

"Sorry. If I had known you were coming, I wouldn't have made it so hot," Goku apologized.

She shook her head and sighed. "It's fine. It's just been awhile since I wash in water this hot. It does feel nice once you get used to it. It's also good for smoothing muscles."

She took a rag that she brought along with a bar of soup and began to washed herself.

Goku watched with interest. He slowly began to realize that when he took his shower he used no soap. He knew he had forgetting something.

"You didn't bring any of this, did you?" Chi-Chi asked, although it was more of a statement.

He shook his head.

She sighed. "I swear. Did you forget all the proper hygiene I taught you?"

"I didn't have to wash in Otherworld," he said.

"Yeah, I figured as much," Chi-Chi said as she rinsed the soap off her body. "It must be nice being dead and keeping your body. You never have to wash or changed your clothes."

He nodded his head. "Yeah. It's been...awkward doing all this stuff again."

She turned towards him. "Well, turn around."

He stared at her.

"I'm going to wash you. I want to make sure you're nice and clean," Chi-Chi said. "It sets a bad example to Goten to have a smelly father."

Goku complied and turned around.

Chi-Chi took her rag and proceeded to scrub his back, earning a sigh of pleasure from him.

How long has it's been since someone been this intimate with him? No doubt it was the day before the Cell Games. He was certain that was when Goten was conceived, although there had been other times. _Many_ other times during those last days. There was just something about that night that felt special. Perhaps...it was because he had the feeling it would be his last day alive.

"Your body feels firmer," Chi-Chi noted as she gently massaged his back, working in the soap.

"Really?" he asked in a hushed voice, enjoying the massage.

She nodded. "I thought your body wouldn't at all change. But, it feels harder. And, it's stronger."

He turned towards her. "I haven't noticed."

She hummed as she rubbed soap onto his chest. "Maybe your body changes to your will. Since you are much stronger than before, your body reflects that."

He paused in thought. "I've never considered it. But I always felt the same."

She washed his chest, moving up towards his neck. She smiled mischievously and lightly danced her fingers under his chin, remembering that there was a small tickle spot there.

He giggled and gently pushed her hand away. "Stop that."

"But it's so cute. Almost like a kitten," Chi-Chi teased, rubbing the sensitive spot again, invoking more giggles from him. "When you were dead, did you feel any discomfort and pain?"

Goku was still giggling. "At first, my sense of feeling was the same. As time went by, I became more numb. But, I never completely lost my ability to feel. It's impractical to be completely numb. You still need to feel pain and stuff to know that you're injured."

"That's good," she said as she as moved her tickling to his cheek, causing him to sigh. "I would hate to think you lost your ability to feel pleasure."

"I wouldn't have noticed anyway. No one touched me in this a way," he stated.

Chi-Chi stopped her teasing. "You stood loyal to me, this entire time?"

Goku gave her a baffled look. "Why wouldn't I?"

Although he did forget she existed, he never felt the need to be with anyone else. Not in that way, anyway. He did notice that women and even some men were taking by him, something King Kai constantly teased him about, but he usually ignored them. Romance and touching just weren't his thing.

He looked at his wife and saw a glint of tears in her eyes.

"Chi-Chi, are you okay?" he asked worriedly. Did he do something wrong? He couldn't have screwed up that fast?

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "Oh, Goku. It's just...I was afraid that you would find someone else in the afterlife. Someone younger. Stronger. Especially...given how I treated you those last couple of years."

He tilted his head. "Why would I find someone else? I enjoy being with you."

Now she really became teary eyed, confusing him more.

He never could understand his wife's mood swings. Maybe it was a woman thing since Bulma was the same way. She could go to happy to sad to angry at the drop of a hat.

"You don't know how much that means to me," Chi-Chi whispered, trying to wipe her tears again. "I thought for sure you would've lost interest in me." She looked down at herself. She appeared to be ashamed. "I've gotten old, Goku. I'm several years older than you now. You haven't age a single day since you died. I can hardly call myself pretty anymore."

Goku looked directly at his wife. "You always look pretty to me."

That statement sent Chi-Chi back into tears.

He was closed to panicking at this point. It seemed every word that came out of his mouth only made Chi-Chi cry more.

Before he could think of any words of comfort, Chi-Chi suddenly hugged him. While he was in her embrace, she reached down and began to ever so gently rub the area where his tail once stood, causing him to involuntarily gasp.

He wasn't expecting that.

 _No_ one ever touched him there. Chi-Chi was the one and only.

Touching his tail spot was almost like someone teasing his manhood. It was so sensitive that Chi-Chi could push him over the edge just by caressing it. He became almost paralyzed with pleasure, as he slumped into his wife's hold.

He didn't realized how numb physically he became until he fought Buu. It sucked. Really, _really_ sucked being forced to remember how painful it could be taking a hit, especially since he didn't really feel anything fighting Vegeta or the pudgy version of Buu. Then he fought Super Buu and Buu's final form and quickly remembered how fragile a living body could be, especially when you're rapidly burning through your own energy reserve.

But being with Chi-Chi like this as she worked him over with her expert fingers made him remembered the good of being touched. He missed feeling this way. It's one of the few times he missed having a tail.

"You're so sweet, Goku," Chi-Chi whispered, kissing his cheek.

He would answer if she weren't currently turning him into a pile of mush.

By the time they finally left the bath, the hottest thing wasn't the water.

* * *

When morning came, Goku felt more rested and ready. He also wasn't stiffed like yesterday, despite the active night Chi-Chi and him had after leaving the bath. Despite his wife's worries about being old, she was just a limber as ever.

He looked out the window and saw that it was late morning, almost afternoon. He still wasn't getting up as early as he liked, but he was getting better. And it didn't feel liked he needed to go back to sleep. Although, his energy levels were still quite low.

He got out of bed and put on the casual clothes that Gohan bought from his grandpa's old house. Since he had that nice bath last night he didn't need to wash again.

Once done, he walked to the kitchen to see Chi-Chi already warming his breakfast.

"I was about to wake you. We're going out as soon as you finish," Chi-Chi said.

"Oh, so Gohan and Goten already left," Goku said as he took a seat.

Chi-Chi chuckled. "I'm surprised Gohan didn't wake you. He slept in again and was rushing out of the house, nearly causing a hurricane taking off."

Goku rubbed his head. "Guess I'm still tired. I didn't sense him leave at all."

She frowned. "Are you okay? You've never slept so deeply so much before. And you've already slept for an entire day, too."

He quickly raised his hands. "I'm fine. I'm just not used to being tired anymore," he assured. "And my body is still adjusting to its new limits."

Chi-Chi kept given him a worried stare. "Is being alive really that different for you? You were dead before and didn't have these problems."

"I was dead for less than a year last time and I knew I would be returning to life. When Cell killed me I had every intention of never coming back," Goku explained. "So, I adapted to being dead."

She put the food on the table. "I guess that would make a different." She paused in thought. "That would explain why I have no real memory of being dead, outside of having no legs and floating like a ghost."

Goku grinned. "Really, that's great!"

"What's so great about that?" she asked, sounding really annoyed.

"You were good enough to keep most of your body. Most people become spirits when they die," Goku said as he dug in.

She blinked. "Really? I never thought about it." She became silent for several seconds. "How do you become good enough to completely keep your body like you did?"

He swallowed his food. "Only people who do a lot of good things can keep their bodies. Or, get special permission from King Emma like Piccolo."

Chi-Chi nodded in understanding. "So, you have to be a hero."

"Yeah, although you don't have to be a fighter," Goku said, grabbing more food. "See, you can be a hero without fighting. I met some of them, like this one guy who stopped an entire civil war without throwing a single punch, or this other person who stopped a centuries long blood feud by being a pacifist. Both of them were really amazing people." He stuffed an entire sandwich in his mouth.

"Sounds like you met a lot of amazing people," Chi-Chi said with a note of awe.

"Uh-huh," Goku mumbled as he ate. "I met many outstanding fighters and martial artists. There's an entire planet made for us. We train under the guidance of the Grand Kai and I met heroes from across the entire universe. It was such a memorable experience."

Chi-Chi chuckled. "It sounds like your version of heaven."

Goku ate the entire plate of bacon. "Well, the Grand Kai's planet is called the Heaven of Warriors. When you died, I bet you went to the big planet."

She was quiet for several seconds. "Yeah, I think I did."

"That's the regular Heaven," Goku explained. "That's the Heaven where most people go. It's always peaceful there and the weather is perfect. Fruit always grows there, too. Grandpa spends most of his time there when he isn't busy with Annin. I go and visit him every so often."

"But you didn't live there," Chi-Chi said.

Goku shook his head, eating another helping of egg. "I lived on the Grand Kai's planet. I did spend a few days on the good planet. It's nice and all, but it gets boring there."

"You love your training," Chi-Chi stated. Her voice had a bitter undertone.

Goku didn't notice it. "It wasn't just training. There's not much do to there except socialize. They don't even have food there, besides the fruit, since most people are spirits. Since grandpa is the only one I know in Otherworld before I died, outside of King Kai, there isn't much for me to do on the good planet."

She frowned when she heard this. "You must have been lonely there."

He stopped eating. "A little. But I met new friends on the Grand Kai's planet."

What he didn't want to say was that he was very lonely, at first. The fighters on the Grand Kai's planet were nice and all, even if a little on the strange side, but they didn't have much personality outside of fighting.

After he lost his memories he understood why. You lose a part of yourself once you forget your life. You couldn't remembered what your home was like, what was your favorite weather, or the adventures you had, and the friends you made. You could only remembered a summary of what your life was like. He was certain he became just as dull as those fighters after awhile.

"Can person who isn't a warrior stay on that planet?" Chi-Chi asked.

Goku shook his head, finishing off the ham. "None warriors can visit, but they can't stay there. It's the Grand Kai's law."

Chi-Chi frowned and her eyes became downcast. "So…when I die, I can't even live with you. We'll be separated again in death."

Goku took noticed of her dropped in mood. "That isn't true. I can always live with you on the good planet and visit the Grand Kai's planet. Since I kept my body, I can go into any part of Heaven I want."

Chi-Chi laughed almost bitterly. "Goku, you barely lived here when training is involved."

He smiled. "But it's different in Otherworld. Time means nothing there. I can stay with you all day and still train to my heart's content. And we will have all eternity together. Besides, I like living with you. That's why I keep coming back."

In the years he had discovered the world, he only really stood in one place for a short time. Even with his friends, he gave short visits before taking off again for a new adventure. Honestly, if he didn't get married he probably be exploring the universe. There were many wonders out there that he would love to see. Worlds with untold adventures, new techniques, and powerful opponents. He got a taste of it when he was on Yardrat and the Grand Kai's planet. But traveling the universe meant leaving the Earth for a _very_ long time. Even Instant Transmission had its limits. There was even a chance that he may never return to Earth.

Traveling and exploring the world was one thing, but he didn't want to leave the planet altogether. Not when he had so many roots here. As much as he may leave for his own selfish reasons, his family kept calling him back home. The feeling was so powerful that he actually found himself becoming homesick if he's gone for a long time. It became physical painful for him to stay on Yardrat after a few months since he kept thinking about returning home, despite him not being able to control his Super Saiyan form, which was highly dangerous.

With his memories restored, he was beginning to find that the beauties on Earth far surpassed those in even Heaven.

Perhaps, there was really no place like home. And that was why his memories were taken. He didn't even want to think about what he would be like after seven years of homesickness.

"Did you miss us, Goku?" Chi-Chi suddenly asked.

Goku became still. "Yeah... I did..."

She stared at him. "It isn't like you to lie."

"I'm not lying," Goku said more defensively than he meant.

"But you're not being entirely truthful," Chi-Chi countered.

He hated this subject.

"We should get going. I want to get back as soon as Gohan is done with school," Goku said, trying to find ways to change the subject.

Chi-Chi wasn't too pleased, but sighed in defeat. "Fine. We do have a long shopping trip. I had to withdraw more money out of dad's account."

He frowned when he heard that. "The clothes I have are fine. You don't have to."

Chi-Chi shook her head. "No, we're getting you some new clothes. Besides, those old things are half moth eating from sitting in storage for so long. I refuse to have my husband dressing as a bum."

Goku chose not to argue. Once she made up her mind, there was no changing it. She was stubborn that way.

The shopping trip was just as Goku thought it would be, long and boring. He had a hard time finding clothes he felt completely comfortable in. He had worn his gi for so long that wearing normal casual clothes felt alien to him, more than usual.

What made the trip somewhat tolerable was that Chi-Chi didn't force any outfit on him. Almost all the casual wear he had before was picked by Chi-Chi. He didn't really have a say except for maybe two shirts and a jacket. Now, she let him picked what he wanted and didn't complained, at least out loud, when he didn't like something. He thought for sure she would blow up by the end of the trip, but she remained calm, if not somewhat frustrated.

The only clothing that she insisted that they buy, with or without his permission, was a suit. She said he needed one for Gohan's graduation and other important moments. He hated suits, he found them to be stuffy and itchy, but he knew that he did eventually need something nice to wear. If Gohan and Videl were serious, he was going to need something to wear to the wedding.

After over three hours of shopping, they came home with only five outfits, one suit, and a blue jogging suit that Goku insisted on buying.

What Goku found the most interesting throughout the trip was that Chi-Chi drove. Chi-Chi didn't liked to drive and only did so if she had to or was extremely angry and needed to blow off stream, which was how she lost her license for an entire year. That was why he was forced to get a license and drive her around.

When he did offer to drive she gave him a firm no. Although it wasn't a trust issue since he hadn't so much as touched a car in seven years.

"Your license is expired," Chi-Chi stated as they drove home.

He tilted his head. "Expired?"

"You need to renewed your license every couple of years," she explained.

He groaned. He wasn't looking forward to that. It was tough passing his test the first time.

"You don't have to," Chi-Chi spoke as if reading his thoughts.

Now this surprised him. "Really?"

She nodded. "I can tell you weren't really happy driving. You're too used to flying or running around. Besides, I'm much calmer now."

"I still don't understand why you don't use the Nimbus," Goku said.

"I've already told you, the Nimbus isn't good for carrying a lot of things," Chi-Chi said. "Especially groceries given how much you and the boys eat. I would have to make several trips."

"I guess," Goku muttered.

By the time they got home, Gohan was already back from school and helped his parents bring in the clothes bags.

"Daddy!" Goten exclaimed as he ran in and hugged his dad's leg.

"Goten, how was Trunks?" Goku asked, patting his baby boy's head.

"It was fun. He let me play a new video game Bulma bought. I even went to the park with Mr. Vegeta," Goten said excitedly.

"Vegeta took you to the park?" Goku asked in surprised.

He nodded. "He took me and Trunks and played tag with us."

Goku was left speechless.

Vegeta really had changed. Before, you couldn't bribe Vegeta to go anywhere if it didn't pertain to training or settling the score with him. To think he not only took Trunks and Goten to the park, but also played with them was unbelievable. He couldn't even pictured Vegeta playing, at all. He supposed this was what Vegeta meant when he said life on Earth had made him soft.

Slowly over the years, he went from a ruthless and murderous space pirate to a family man. Who would ever see that coming? The universe was indeed filled with many wonders.

"Well, I hope you didn't wear yourself out too much," Chi-Chi said once she finished taking Goku's clothes to their room. "We still have training today."

Goten grinned. "I didn't."

"Can I come?" Goku asked, barely containing his own eagerness.

It's been days since he trained and he was beginning to get anxious. Although he still wasn't in top form, he wanted to start training again as soon as possible to get himself back into shape. He was far from happy about his performance against Buu's final form and wanted to get stronger so he could defeat any form of Buu without any help.

Besides, this was a good opportunity for him to trained Goten.

Chi-Chi smiled at him. "Of course. You can see all the work Goten's done."

Goku looked to his eldest son. "What about you, Gohan? You don't have to come if you don't want to." He wanted to make sure he wasn't pressuring his son, especially after their talked yesterday.

"Sure," Gohan said with a nod and a smile, dissipating his concerns.

"Gohan, don't you have homework to catch up on?" Chi-Chi asked with a slight edge to her voice.

"Don't worry, mom, I can catch up later tonight. Besides, the teachers are taking it easy on us since everyone is still recovering from Majin Buu," Gohan said before blushing. "I'm also a mini celebrity."

"Why?" Goku asked.

"Well...I kind of revealed myself as the Great Saiyaman back at the tournament. They also know me as the Golden Fighter," Gohan explained meekly before his eyes narrowed. "I feel the worse for Videl, though. They won't let her forget the beating Spopovich gave her. Some even had the guile to tease her."

Chi-Chi scowled at the mentioned of that man. "I can't believe what that brute did that to that poor girl. She could have died. What the heck was wrong with him? That wasn't a fight. That was torture."

Goku sighed. "What he did to her was unforgivable. Whatever issues he had with Mr. Satan, he had no business taking it out on Videl. With that said, Videl really should have giving up. She got hurt up like that because she overestimated herself."

"I think so too, but Videl is a very prideful and stubborn person. She would have let Spopovich beat her to death before she threw the fight," Gohan said with a cold edge to his voice.

"Well, there's no point in worrying about it now," Goku said with a slight shrug. "Videl just have to learn and accept what happened."

Especially since he doubted Spopovich was wished back. Although he was under Babidi's spell and given a cruel end by the sadistic wizard, he had darkness within his heart that allowed him to be controlled and he wasn't allowed to redeemed himself like Vegeta. His beating of Videl was also far too personal and brutal to all be mind-control. Much like Vegeta, he was certain all of it was willing. Videl may have to live with the scars of a humiliating defeat, but least she was alive.

Gohan shook his head. "I can't help but to think it's my fault."

"How so?" Goten asked, completely confused.

"Videl...she became more self confident after I taught her how to fly. She was also dead set on fighting me at the tournament. If I hadn't trained her...if she didn't know about me...maybe she would have giving up," Gohan said. His voice was filled with guilt.

Before Goku could say anything, Chi-Chi stepped forward. "None of that was your fault. You said yourself, she's stubborn. She wouldn't have surrender even if she never met you."

"Still..." Gohan started.

"It's probably for the best it happened," Goku spoke up.

Gohan glared at his father. "How can you say that?"

He bit his lips. He worded that _really_ badly. "What I mean is, Videl had a naive idea about the world. Before the tournament and Buu, she truly believed that Mr. Satan was the strongest in the world. She had no idea that they were people like us around. If she was allowed to carrying on with her narrow view, she may have ended up getting over her head." Like Mr. Satan when he tried to fight Cell, Goku added to himself. Unlike Mr. Satan, Videl didn't have his luck.

Gohan lowered his head. He didn't really have a counter.

"Why would Videl believe that Mr. Satan is the strongest?" Goten asked. "He can't even fly or shoot energy. I bet he can't even bend steel."

Goku hummed. "It's because the kind of martial arts taught to me by Master Roshi had falling away from the public."

Truthfully, he wasn't completely sure himself. Over the years, martial artists who could control energy or had physic abilities have become rarer. Or, maybe they were always really rare and their small group was truly it.

Master Roshi did say long ago that most martial artists never broke the human limit as he called it, even those who trained their entire lives.

As a child, most formable martial artists came across as horribly weak to him. It took Master Roshi telling him that it wasn't that they were weak; it was because he was so strong. Nothing short of superhuman could challenge him. By the time he was teenager, even the best of humanity couldn't keep up with him anymore. Tien, who was once his equal, was little more than a nice workout.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt sorry for Videl. She went from thinking she was one of the strongest in the world, to finding out she barely registered as superhuman. It was kinda like him finding out how pitifully weak he was compared to the other Saiyans. It's a very bitter, humbling experience. Like the world you knew crashed on your head.

Although, Videl should of had _some_ idea about energy blasts and flying before meeting Gohan. If she grew up around the World Martial Arts Tournaments, she must have known about the fights he and his friends used to have there. The ring, the stadium, and the entire island blowing up that caused the tournament to be cancelled for a number of years weren't something that people usually forget.

But people in general seemed to have forgotten that type of martial arts. Flying was seen as odd and controlling energy reduced to a mere trick of light. They seemed to believed in Mr. Satan's claimed about it all being fake.

Well, they didn't helped by hiding their abilities, something he never truly understood. Why did they have to hide what they could do anyway? When did shooting blasts become some taboo secret?

"Well, there's no point in thinking about it," Chi-Chi said before looking at her husband. "Get your gi on. We train in twenty minutes."

Goku's excitement returned, immediately losing his train of thought, as he all but ran to his bedroom. Now, he would see for himself how much his wife has changed.

* * *

 **Another chapter done. Hard to believe that chapters 2, 3, and a third of this chapter all took place in one day. So much have happened, yet more needs to be done. Hope you guys enjoyed the Goku and Chi-Chi goodness. It's interesting to write a character being romantic, who isn't romantic at all.**

 **About last chapter, I thought for sure someone would call me on why Goku was being so vicious when he was thinking about Cell and Super Buu. He was thinking about how he wanted them to suffer longer before dying. Then again, those two did deserve it.**

 **As for my guest reviewers. Since I cannot PM you, I will take your reviews here:**

 **CGG, thank you for your review. To be clear, Goku is not disappointed in Gohan as a person. He's disappointed on how he performed in a particular situation. Goku expects nothing but the best from Gohan and when he failed to lived up to that really high expectation, Goku would feel let down. He understood why it happened, Gohan doesn't like fighting, but none of us can really control our feelings. The sad fact of the matter is we will eventually disappoint our parents, no matter how hard we try not to. Most parents tend to keep their disappointments to themselves, but Goku is too much of a blunt person for that and tends to speak his mind. And the fact of the matter, Gohan isn't a child anymore. He is almost a man and Goku wouldn't feel the need to hold back. Goku still loves his son, but seeing Gohan's performance against Dabura confirmed to him that his son would never inherit his legacy, which is tough for any parent to accept.**

 **A dbz fan, thank you for your review. I do agree that Toriyama did give us glimpses into what Goku was thinking before the Cell Games. When he relaxed around Krillin, he bluntly told him that he wasn't sure what will happen and the world very well could end. Instead of spending his time worrying, he decided to spend his remaining time with his family. I will go into more detail about that in the story, but I do think Goku hide his emotions so he won't worry anyone. Toriyama loves his jokes and toilet humor, but I think he gives himself too little credit at times. He very good at writing characters who seem simple on the surface, but actually has quite a bit of depth to them.**

 **With all that done, until next chapter.**


	5. Family Activity

**Here is the next chapter, ready for your enjoyment. Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and follows. As always, your feedback helps make a better story and encourage me to improve.**

 **Now, the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Family Activity**

* * *

They walked until they came to an open field not too far from the house. This was the placed he did most of his training with Piccolo and Gohan to prepare for the androids. It was also the place where he camped with Gohan when he was small since he couldn't go too far into the woods. A long time ago, his grandpa and him trained here.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

This small plot of land held so many memories. He could close his eyes and remembered all of it. He swore he heard his grandfather's voice, Gohan's childish laughter, and Piccolo's guff scolding about them being too laid back.

"Let's go, Goten!" Chi-Chi ordered as she got into battle stance. Her face was firmed and unyielding.

Goku blinked when he saw her expression.

Gohan also looked on with interest.

Goten nodded and also took a stance.

Within seconds, Chi-Chi charged their youngest son, viciously attacking him. Goten barely had time to dodged and defend himself as Chi-Chi went after him.

Goku was surprised.

He hadn't seen Chi-Chi this fierce since they sparred in the early days of their marriage. Before she became pregnant with Gohan, they used to spar all the time. It was the first real bonding experience they had.

He remembered those days well since Chi-Chi wanted to become as strong as him back then and insisted that he trained her. He thought it was cute. She had a lot of talent, but he knew that she would never match him. No human could. Still, if she'd kept training, she would probably be on par with some of his friends. Probably around Krillin and Yamcha's level.

He missed this side of her. He loved Chi-Chi as a wife and homemaker, but he missed the fierce fighter she used to be. She was so much more playful in those days. Not so uptight, stern, and burdened by motherhood. When they sparred, passions flared. It was during one of their sparring sessions that Gohan was conceived.

"Hey mom, don't you think you're going a bit overboard," Gohan said in concern. He winced when his mom punched Goten across the face.

"He can take it!" Chi-Chi yelled, not letting up in the slightest.

Goten was doing a better job dodging now that he got his footing and rhyming.

As Goku watched, he could see what Goten's problem was. Chi-Chi was attacking so much and so franticly that she wasn't given Goten enough time to think about his next move. For training, it was always best to go slow and give the trainee space to make mistakes, learned body movements, and see openings. Not just response and evade.

This was the primary problem he had with Piccolo's method of training. He taught Gohan how to dodge and response to movement, but he didn't teach him how or when to attack. No matter how fast you were, you could only dodged for so long. You had to know when to go on the offensive. It was lesson he made sure to pound into Gohan when they trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

There was also the matter that Goten was trying to withhold his power. One slip and Goten could easily break Chi-Chi in half.

Well...maybe that was an exaggeration. Chi-Chi, after all, was pretty tough. More than once he sent her flying by accident and she only got a few bruises. Still, she would get badly hurt if Goten used his full strength for even a fraction of a second and they had no senzu beans around.

"Come on! You fought against Majin Buu! You can do much better than this!" Chi-Chi shouted, tripping Goten.

"Hey Chi-Chi, mind if I step in?" Goku spoke up.

Chi-Chi stopped her assault. "Oh, but we're just getting started."

Goku smiled. "It won't take long."

Chi-Chi eyed him for several seconds before she moved away from Goten, who was just now standing up.

"Goten, come at me," Goku ordered. He didn't bother to take a stance.

The boy nodded and flew towards his father, not holding back like he did with his mom. Goku could tell by his son's eyes that he was eager to prove himself.

As slowly as possible, Goku sidestepped the sloppy charged and brought his fist up to Goten's cheek. He didn't hit him, stopping just short.

"You left yourself wide open. You would've lost your head," Goku said. "Don't just react. Feel my movements."

Goten turned around and attempted to kick him.

He dodged and put a fist near his ribs. "You're open again. With enough force, I can break your ribcage and punctured your lungs."

Goten attempted another kick, which Goku evaded and gently tapped him on the head.

"I just fracture your skull. You're still not feeling me," Goku lightly scolded.

This went on for nearly thirty minutes. Every time Goten attacked, Goku would block or evade, tap his son in an open area, and explained the damaged he just did. All the while, Goku did as little movement as possible, given Goten enough time to either dodge or counter.

Soon, Goten was picking up on this and did a better job guarding his vital areas and evading his father's attacks. He was also starting to see his father's openings and going for them.

Gradually, Goku increased the speed of his attacks and he hit a little harder when Goten's failed to stop him. Before long, they were moving so quickly that Chi-Chi couldn't keep up with them.

Goku kept a neutral expression through the exercise, but he felt his pride swell.

Goten maybe wild, but he had real talent. He was indeed a prodigy. He may lack Gohan's raw inner power, but he was much better with natural movement and had much more self-confidence.

Gohan was always stiffed and too thoughtful when they trained, which made him slow and predictable. Goten was relaxed and went with the flow of battle. He was actually surprised by how relaxed he was given how Chi-Chi was going at him like a bull.

Goten eventually made the mistake of leaving his sides wide opened during one of his punches. Goku's battle instincts took over and he punched much harder than he intended, causing the young boy to scream and trembled to the ground so hard that he left behind a nice size crater.

"Goten!" Chi-Chi yelled as she rushed to her baby's side.

Gohan was also there and cuddled his brother. "Are you okay?"

Goten weakly nodded and rubbed his side. "Yeah..."

"I'm sorry!" Goku exclaimed, horrified at what he's done. "I didn't mean to hit that hard."

Goten smiled, not the least bit upset. "Ah, it's okay. Trunks hits me harder than that when we play."

Gohan sighed and rubbed his brother's back. "Still, it wouldn't have happened if you didn't drop your guard. You have to be aware at all times."

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Goku tilted his head as he watched his sons' interaction.

He remembered when he hit Gohan a little too hard during practice, which happened more times than he cared to admit. Piccolo always scolded him for coddling Gohan. As Piccolo saw it, pain was a good teaching tool and he was spoiling Gohan after he put in an entire year trying to toughing Gohan up. He firmly believed that he was making Gohan depend on him too much. Instead of fighting Gohan as an equal, he always wore kid gloves with his son.

He didn't disagree on the first part. He learned a lot from getting his butt handed to him, as much as it sucked at the time. But he also learned a lot from a gentle touch and guidance. Although, learning from pain was quicker and the lesson stuck longer.

As for the spoiling part, he didn't think he did, at least at first. He tried to mimic how his grandpa raised him, although he admittedly wasn't as strict. His grandpa could be a nasty old man when he didn't do as he was told. Given how he was as a child, he had to be.

Master Roshi was much the same. Gohan and Chi-Chi knew him as a perverted old man who did nothing all day except looked at porn and his exercise channels, but he was a strict master who had no problem using physical and sometimes humiliating punishments when either him or Krillin misbehaved. His word was law and he could be scary when he wanted to be.

Whether he spoiled Gohan or not was one of the few subjects Chi-Chi agreed with Piccolo on. Although in her case, he spoiled Gohan by letting him skipped his school lessons, chores, and undermine her by given him snacks.

Given what happened in Trunks' time, him making Gohan rely on him too much was a point of concern. Although, he may be went too far in the other direction during the Cell Games.

What really took him off-guard during that time was when Gohan, taking Piccolo's strict training to heart, insisted that he fight him all out. At times, it bordered on masochistic. Gohan went as far as to taunt and mock him, trying to provoked him into using his full power. Gohan wasn't happy until he came closed to killing him. If he died, it just proved he wasn't strong enough to surpass him.

Perhaps it was just the situation. They were trying to make him transform into a Super Saiyan and the world was in danger from Cell. He also put a lot of pressure on Gohan to surpass him, something his son truly believed was impossible.

Gohan seemed to have mellow out since he didn't apply that mindset to Goten. He also doubted he trained Videl that way. The poor girl would probably be dead.

"Goku, you need to be more careful," Chi-Chi reprimanded, breaking his musings. "You could of seriously hurt Goten."

"I said I was sorry. It was a reflex," Goku said, holding out his hands.

"It's okay, mom. Accident happens," Gohan assured as he helped his little brother to his feet. "Since dad's been training with powerful warriors in Otherworld, it must be hard for him to dial it back."

Goten looked at his brother. "I want to try again. This time, I want to fight as a Super Saiyan."

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "You want to fight as a delinquent?"

Goten smiled. "Yeah!"

She frowned when she heard that.

"I think that will be fine," Goku said after some thought.

It would make the session more interesting. If his estimations were correct, Goten was about even to him as a Super Saiyan. That meant he could hit hard without causing too much damage.

Chi-Chi wasn't happy, but said nothing as she stepped back.

Gohan quickly did the same.

With a small grunt, Goten activated his Super Saiyan form, causing dust to kick up in all directions.

Now that Goku wasn't surprised or pressed for time, he could get a good look at his son's Super Saiyan state.

Unlike when him and Gohan first transformed, he was completely relaxed. He looked completely natural as a Super Saiyan. His energy was also calm. There wasn't a hint of anger or aggression in it. It took him and Gohan months and a lot of broken furniture to reach this state of zen. Without even trying, Goten had mastered being a Super Saiyan.

Incredible.

How did this half-pint do it? How did Goten and Trunks do so easily what took the rest of them so much pain and mental trauma to do? He was almost jealous.

Then again, Gotenks for all his problems managed to become a Super Saiyan 3 just from him showing him how to do it. He half wondered if this was how he friends felt about him.

"Dad, aren't you going to transform?" Goten asked.

Goku smirked. "I see no need at the moment."

Goten smiled back at him. "Okay. But don't cry if I hurt you."

He seemingly disappeared and was right in his father's face in a blink of an eye. Despite his speed, Goku blocked and parried as his attacks.

As he thought, they were evenly matched. Goten's strength and speed were a little above Frieza. He mentally smiled at the thought of the tyrant getting his butt handed to him by a Saiyan child. The poor bastard's mind would shattered.

Fighting Goten like this also showed his own growth. Before, it took being a Super Saiyan to keep up at this level. Now, he could basically hold his own in his base form. Something to be proud of. It was almost hard to believe that someone like Frieza was so overwhelmingly powerful years ago. Between Cell and Buu, Frieza was a weakling.

Since they were even, Goku decided it was time to be more aggressive. For every mistake Goten made, he punched hard into his soft areas. He was more than certain that he would've broken Goten's bones if he weren't transformed.

Goten weather the pain well, but after only twenty minutes, Goku noticed tears forming in his son's eyes.

"Okay, we're stopping," Goku said, ceasing his assault.

"But...I'm okay..." Goten puffed, wincing in pain every so often.

Goku shook his head. "You've reached your limit. Take a rest."

Goten was ready to protest again.

"Let me spar dad for awhile," Gohan spoke up, stepping forward.

This made Goten's eyes light up. "You're going to fight dad?"

Gohan gave a wolfish smile. "Of course. I can't let you have all the fun."

Goku grinned at the challenge. "Fine with me." He knew with Gohan he didn't need to be gentle, especially since Gohan was currently stronger and could seriously hurt him if he wasn't careful.

Goten back away from the two warriors and went towards his mother, who fussed about him being hurt.

Gohan and Goku got into stance before they charged each other.

Unlike the slow, friendly spar they had yesterday, this was fast and precise. Gohan was more focused and able to counter and dodged most of his father's attacks.

Goku was also focus, making sure Gohan didn't land a solid hit. He saw what he did to Buu and didn't want to be on the end of one of those punches. Especially since he was still getting used to how sensitive his living body was.

"You're awesome, Gohan!" Goten cheered from the sidelines. "Get him!"

Gohan seemed to gained steam from the cheering section and his attacks became faster and fiercer.

Soon, their attacks made loud booming sounds with every impact causing pieces of the earth to explode around them.

Goku had to admit, this was intense.

He fought fierce opponents before with Buu now being on the top of his list, but there was something special about fighting his son like this. It brought back memories of their time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Even though they were training to fight a powerful and dangerous android, it remained a wonderful memory for him. Well, now that he could remember it.

As tragic as it was, their time in that room was the most personal bonding they had in three years. They did spend time before the androids hanging out and even camping, but the impending arrival of the androids who were destined to kill everyone and turned the world into a hellhole always put a bit of a damper on things.

There was also the matter that Piccolo was _always_ around. He practically lived with them during those three years, so he didn't spend as much alone time as he wanted with his son. He wasn't mad. Piccolo trained and cared for Gohan when he wasn't around, so it wasn't right for him to say anything. Besides, Gohan enjoyed Piccolo's company. As far as he knew, Gohan was the only person on the planet that could make Piccolo smile. His one time rival was practically a second father to his son.

It was funny. Piccolo and him were mortal enemies, seemingly destined to fight and hate each other until one of them died. Heck, Piccolo was born to kill him and he wasn't too fond of Piccolo since he was the reborn demon king who murdered his friends. And in just a day, they formed an alliance that all but ended their animosity. He saved his son's life and even his from Frieza, twice.

Looking back, it was amazing how everyone changed. How they changed without him...

In the years since his death, his best friend got married to an android that was programmed to kill him and he wasn't there. He even had a daughter and he didn't even know her name until the other day. The more he thought about it, the more disconnected he felt from everyone. Like...he didn't belong among them anymore...

As that thought crossed his mind, his guard lowered for a fraction of a second. That was all Gohan needed to decked him hard across the face, sending him crashing into the ground.

"Dad!?" Gohan exclaimed in shock. "I...I didn't expect that to hit!"

Goku groaned as he rubbed his rapidly swelling cheek. He testing his jaw to make sure it wasn't dislocated or broken. It didn't seem anything was broken, but his ears were ringing and his eyesight was blurry. Man, one hit from Gohan and he was reduced to this.

"Wow, Gohan! You got him good!" Goten clapped.

Chi-Chi frowned. "What happened? It isn't like you to drop your guard like that."

Goku shook his head. "Just careless."

Gohan frowned, not believing his father.

Chi-Chi had the same expression as she turned towards her eldest son. "Why don't you spar with Goten for a bit?"

Gohan nodded, getting the message. "Okay." He looked at his baby brother. "Come on, squirt. I won't go easy on you like dad."

Goten gave a huge grin. "I'm ready when you are."

They went off to the side to fight while Chi-Chi sat by Goku.

"What really happened there? It seemed you were thinking about something," Chi-Chi said. She patted his back.

He stared at the grass. "I wasn't thinking about the fight, that's all." He rubbed his jaw "Have to admit, Gohan has one heck of a right hook. I think he got it from you," he added with some humor.

"Don't change the subject," Chi-Chi scolded before she frowned. "It is really that hard to tell me what's been bothering you?"

He lost his good humor and went back to staring at the grass. "It...it's just that I feel...disconnected."

"Disconnected?" Chi-Chi repeated.

"I've been dead for so long and I miss so much that...it feels like I no longer belong," Goku admitted.

"You can't really believe that. We're all so happy that you've returned home," Chi-Chi said.

"I know...but you all moved on without me." He sighed as he looked towards his sons who were sparring in the distance. "Gohan is now a man and is falling in love. Goten doesn't really need my guidance. You're taking martial arts again. Vegeta married Bulma and acting like father. Krillin married Android 18, had a daughter, and grew hair... The world moved on and I'm the same as I was seven years ago." He shook his head. "So much have change and I don't think I can adjust to all of it."

"It's been less than three days," Chi-Chi said firmly as she grabbed his arm. "You're still getting use to things. Once everything have settle down, things will begin to feel normal."

He wanted to believe that. Right now, things still felt less than real to him. He was quickly learning that it was harder to accept being alive than it was being dead. When he was dead, there was the excitement of a new adventure and meeting new people to keep him going.

Now, it was relearning his own family and friends.

Why was he so emotional lately? He was never liked this before. There'd been times when he hadn't seen friends and family for years and he didn't react this way. Did being dead also subdue his emotions?

Despite the question, he knew what the different was.

When he left those other times, he knew he would come back, no matter how long it took.

When he said his goodbyes last time, it was truly supposed to be the last. He truly expected to never to see any of them again until they died. He never expected to set foot on Earth again. He mentally said his goodbyes to this realm. To his very life. On top of the physical changes that had happened to him, he mentally wasn't all there.

And, in those times he's been away, nothing really changed. His friends remained the same people he left behind, outside of getting older and Bulma getting a new hairstyle.

That wasn't the case this time. Looking at Vegeta, he was barely the same person he remembered seven years ago. Gohan was just as bad. It was like he was getting to know new people who wore the faces of the people he once knew. Well in Krillin's case it was more getting to know the person you knew with a new face.

Trunks was the worse of the bunch since he didn't know him, despite knowing another version of him from another time. From the time he spent around the boy, he was a completely different person from the Trunks he knew. This Trunks was cocky, reckless, playful, and easy-going. The Trunks he met seven years ago was the exact opposite. Now that he thought about it, that Trunks reminded him of Gohan.

He felt something nudged him and he looked up to see Chi-Chi elbowing him.

"Get up. Let's spar," she ordered.

He blinked. "You want to fight me."

She smiled. "Of course. What? You don't think I can keep up," she said as she put her hands to her hips. "I've gotten better. You won't be able to knock me around like before."

He heavily doubted that, but he smiled at the challenged, forgetting his inner dialog. He stood up and patiently waited for Chi-Chi to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long.

Within seconds, Chi-Chi was on him and was throwing punches in rapid succession. She attempted to trip him several times when she thought that his feet were unguarded, but he easily evaded her.

Oh, she was good. Much better than the last time they sparred. Training Goten had kept her in fine form. Chi-Chi was worried about getting and looking old, but she actually looked and felt younger than she did seven years ago. Her body was firmer, stronger, more flexible, and she generally had more energy.

Although, she was still easily bait into his traps. Playfully tapping her and not acting serious and she would get frustrated, which made her careless.

"Come on, you have to keep a cool head," Goku advised as he parried one of her punches. "Getting emotional only makes you easy to predict."

"And you're still cocky," Chi-Chi growled as she did a roundhouse kick, which he sidestepped with ease.

It was strange. Although he was millions of times stronger, she was still fun to fight. Unlike Gohan, which was more a battle of wit, and Goten where he was a mentor, he could relaxed around Chi-Chi and just enjoy the course of the battle. If he did make a mistake, he could correct it without the risk of bone being shattered.

"Wow, look at mom and dad go!" Goten exclaimed.

"Yeah, they're both really good," Gohan said.

After several more minutes, Goku tripped Chi-Chi, making her fall butt first onto the ground.

"Remember to always watch your feet," he playfully warned her.

She stood up and rubbed her behind. "One of these days..."

"You can beat mom so easily. Trunks was right about daddies being stronger than mommies," Goten spoke up.

Goku looked at his son. "What do you mean?"

"Trunks told me that I wasn't as strong as him because mom trained me and moms aren't as strong as dads," Goten said.

Gohan frowned and shook his head. "Trunks shouldn't say such things. They're plenty of strong women out there. I mean, just look at 18. She's much stronger than Krillin."

"I swear, he gets that personality from his father," Chi-Chi said, rubbing her forehead. "I need to talk to Bulma about that."

Goku remained silent.

Gohan was right, there were a lot of strong women. But most of the more powerful fighters tended to be men. Even in Otherworld he met only a few female warriors. Others he knew were liked Chi-Chi. They studied marital arts for several years and then quit for whatever reason. Some to start a family, some because they found other interests, and others just fell out of loved with martial arts.

Which was ashamed. From his experience, women tended to learn faster than men. They were also more graceful and agile, making up for not having the muscle mass of a man. They had a keen understanding of how to redirect mass instead of trying to overpower everything.

The biggest problem with women is that they tended to be easy to hurt. Although most of that was because of their boobs. Being on their chest, it was easy to hit and cause major harm. At the same time, they took pain well. He supposed they had to if they could handle squeezing a watermelon sized baby out of their bodies. He hurt thinking about it.

"I'm stronger than your mom because I trained," Goku finally replied. "If she trained more, your mom would be among the strongest fighters on the planet."

"So, if mom train, she can become just as strong as you?" Goten asked.

"No," Goku answered bluntly.

"Goku!" Chi-Chi exclaimed as she smacked him over the head.

"Ow, it's true!" Goku groaned, rubbing his now sore head.

Gohan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Dad's strength has nothing to do with him being a man. He's just naturally more talented than mom. Dad is a genius in fighting. Few people in the universe can even compare to him"

"Like Vegeta?" Goten asked, looking at his dad.

Goku chuckled and rubbed his son's head. "Yeah. Just like Vegeta."

"So...who's stronger? I know you can become a Super Saiyan 3 and all, but you told Trunks that Vegeta was stronger back at the Lookout," Goten said.

Goku smiled. "Me and Vegeta are about even."

Gohan glanced at his father, but said nothing.

Goten looked at his big brother. "How about Gohan? He's genius too, right?"

"Of course he is," Goku answered before Gohan could. "Your brother is the strongest in the entire universe."

Goten's eyes widened. "Really? But Gohan always told me you were."

Goku glimpsed at Gohan before looking back at Goten. "Your brother is just being modest. I can't even compare to him." He winkled. "He's a super hero, after all. And super heroes are always the strongest in the world."

Goten smiled and nodded. "Yeah. That's true."

Gohan blushed and kicked the air at the compliments his father was heaping on him. It was obvious he was trying not to smile.

This made Goku chuckled. Gohan was never good at taking compliments. Any form of praise caused him to almost danced around. It's cute that he still kept that trait despite being an adult.

Chi-Chi smiled at the heartwarming scene. It was moments like these she dearly missed. And she could tell by looking at Goku and the warm smile on his face that he missed this too.

She looked at the sky and saw that they've been sparring for over two hours. "It's getting late. I need to get dinner ready."

Goku drooled at the thought of food.

"Oh, are we're going to have bear again!?" Goten asked excitedly.

"No," Chi-Chi answered, losing some of her good mood. "That was a one time deal." As she said that, she glared at Goku.

"I can pick up some meat. It shouldn't take me long," Gohan offered as he took to the air and flew off.

The rest of the Son family chose to walk back to the house, enjoying the warm weather. Goten walked ahead of his parents, occasionally picking up sticks or random lizards to show to his father.

Goku was happy to see that his youngest boy had picked up his loved for nature. It was probably something he learned from Gohan since Chi-Chi wasn't a big animal lover. Well, she loved small, furry animals. She wasn't a fan of lizards or anything with scales.

While he was thinking about Goten, this was the perfect time to talk to Chi-Chi about a subject that had been on his mind since yesterday.

"So, what made you decide to train again?" Goku asked in his usual blunt manner.

Chi-Chi looked at her husband. "What brought this on?"

"I'm curious," Goku said.

She turned away from Goku and looked at her son, who was paying no attention to them. "I only really started to train again once Goten was born. I wanted him to learn martial arts and Gohan was busy with his studies to do it. And...he also lost his passion for the martial arts."

This got Goku's attention. "Gohan told me he liked fighting for sport and fun."

"Maybe he does now, but after you...died he hated training and threw himself into his books. I guess it reminded him too much of you," Chi-Chi said.

Goku winced. He didn't know it was that bad. He figured Gohan stopped since he simply didn't have the loved for fighting like he did and wanted to be a scholar and stuff. He never considered that his death destroyed the fun aspect of martial arts for him.

He shook his head. "But why did you want Goten to learn? You hated martial arts after Gohan was born."

"I never hated it," Chi-Chi corrected. "Martial arts gave me so much. It kept me in shape after having two babies and gave me my husband."

Now Goku was really lost. "Then why..."

"What I hated was the fighting," she cut off. "Until I saw you fight Piccolo, I always saw marital arts as just a fun thing to do to enriched your life. I never connected it to actual violence." She began to tear up. "When I saw Piccolo shoot you through the chest, break your legs, and nearly saw your arm off...that's when I realized just how dangerous fighting truly was. You could have been killed."

"But I didn't," Goku stated.

"That isn't the point," she replied with an air of annoyance. "Piccolo was ready to kill you right in front of us and...I could do nothing to stop it. And that's when I also realized that this was a part of your life. You live for that kind of fighting. I saw the joy on your face as you fought Piccolo. I think I always knew that...seeing you fight the Red Ribbon Army and knowing you were the one who fought King Piccolo. To you, putting your life on the line and fighting to the death is all part of the fun."

Goku was silent.

As much as he wanted to, he had no counter. He did enjoy the friendly sparring matches and fighting in tournaments against friends and rivals.

But, there was something uniquely special when you were fighting for your life and knew that defeat meant death. It was part of the reason why he enjoyed his first match with Vegeta despite so much being on the line. The same was true with Buu and even Frieza to a lesser extent.

When he was fighting for his life, his heart pounded, his blood rushed, and energy pulsed through his body. In those moments, he felt so alive. If there were a word to describe his feelings during those moments, it would be happiness.

"I didn't want that for Gohan. I never wanted him to experience that kind of violence. That kind of terror…" Chi-Chi spoke as she clutched her hands. "So, I thought it was better for him to never learn to fight than risk losing him to a monster like Piccolo."

He remained quiet for several seconds. "You know that I would never allow Gohan to fight if I didn't know he would be okay. Gohan may have been on the battlefield with us, but he had me and the others watching his back. He was never alone."

She sighed. There was an air of frustration in her voice. "You're missing the point. A child shouldn't be made to fight, no matter who's with them."

He tilted his head. "I fought when I was Gohan's age. So did Krillin."

"You're an alien raised in the wildness for god knows how long and Krillin...I don't know enough about him to comment," Chi-Chi said before regaining her bearings. "Gohan was _my_ baby. I wanted him to live a peaceful, normal life."

"Then what change?" Goku asked.

She lowered her head. "Your death."

He stared at her.

"After Gohan told me what happened...I cried for days. After you survived that horrible virus, you were still taking away from me," she was closed to whispering. "I was angry. I was angry at the world, angry at the gods, and angry at you for not wanting to be wished back. And... I was angry at myself." She wiped her eyes as tears began to build. "I began to realized that I was too harsh on you and Gohan. I pushed my own fears of fighting onto you both, and drove you both away. I understand now why you wanted to train Gohan. It wasn't just so you could have a sparring partner. It was because you wanted a successor."

His eyes widened in surprised.

"Fighting is a part of who you are and you wanted to pass that onto Gohan. To leave something of yourself behind," Chi-Chi spoke softly. "By not allowing Gohan to train, I took that away from you. And I robbed Gohan of the chance to learn something truly life fulfilling."

"I don't see how my death made you see that," Goku said. "If anything, it should have confirmed all your fears."

"It did...at first," she admitted. "But after Gohan told me everything, about how he lost himself to his anger and didn't kill Cell when he had the chance, I realized he acted that way because he wasn't mentally prepared." She sighed. "I know you did your best in that strange room you spent a year in, but the kind of mental training Gohan needed couldn't be done within a year. Because I coddled and shielded him so much, he didn't have the mentality needed to kill Cell or the emotional control to contain such rage. If he was proper trained from the start, he would have been ready."

"That's a lot of ifs," Goku stated as he rubbed his head. "Even if Gohan had trained from the start, what happened with Cell still could've happened. Gohan is just so gentle."

"Like you, but you know when it's time to become fierce," Chi-Chi countered. "When you fight, you become a different person, especially when you're a Super Saiyan. You become stern, focus, unapproachable...nothing like your gentle self. Yet, when the fighting is done, you turn back to yourself. Gohan can't do that. It's because you were never given the chance to train him properly."

Goku glanced at Goten, who was still unaware of the serious conversation. "So, you trained Goten to make up for your mistakes with Gohan."

Chi-Chi nodded. "I don't want him to fight either, but...I want to give him the chance to chose. Something that I denied Gohan. And...I wanted to pass your legacy to him."

Goku let out a long sigh. "You got it wrong, Chi-Chi. The reason why I act the way I do when I fight is because I am a Saiyan. Me being gentle is an abnormality as Vegeta would be quick to remind you. Gohan is the opposite. His kind nature is natural."

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe that for a second. So what if you're a Saiyan? That kindness is as much a part of you as it is Gohan and Goten. You just bumping your head as a kid couldn't have given you that."

He rubbed his head.

From the story Master Roshi told, he was just as violent as any Saiyan before his accident. It was nice to think that his niceness came from him and not just because he smashed his head against some rocks, but he doubted that was the case. His angry and fierce personality when he fought was probably closer to his 'true' self.

Once they reached the house, Chi-Chi went inside to begin cooking while Goten chose to play in the yard.

Goku decided to go for a walk before dinner. With all these new revelations on top of his own displacement issues, he needed to clear his head.

He wasn't sure how to feel about Chi-Chi's reasons for training Goten. She did it out of guilt. Guilt that he died because Gohan couldn't fully controlled his feelings. That he wasn't mentally prepared to kill.

Even if he did trained Gohan from the start, he doubted he could ever give his son the instinct needed to kill. He didn't think he could since he never needed to be taught. When he was child, he just killed. He never consider the consequences of taking a life until he trained under Kami.

To him, those who did evil or generally just made him mad didn't deserved to live or his mercy. Some would call it a strong sense of justice, and maybe some of it was, but a lot of it was him satisfying his own bloodlust. As much as he tried to hide and control it, him hitting his head didn't get rid of that aspect of his Saiyan nature.

He enjoyed killing evil people. He enjoyed putting them in misery, much like what they'd done to others, before ending them. His raid against the Red Ribbon Army and fighting King Piccolo and his sons allowed him to indulged in his darker Saiyan nature without tainting his pure heart.

For him, learning when _not_ to kill was the challenge. Kami and Mr. Popo spent three years drilling into him the importance of respecting _all_ life, even the lives of his enemies. Those who did evil were still living creatures with fears, hopes, dreams, and some times even loved ones. Life shouldn't be taking lightly and second chances should always be given when the opportunity arose.

He supposed the lesson of mercy and forgiveness would be important to someone who was the Guardian of the Earth. Kami had to looked over and protect people who did evil and used his creation of hope, the Dragon Balls, for selfish and greedy ends.

Funny, talking to Chi-Chi really highlighted how different Gohan and he were.

Well...maybe not when he thought about it more. Since his training with Kami, he now had problems knowing when to kill himself. His fight with Frieza proved that.

With Cell, it was easy for him to want to destroy him since he didn't really see the android as a living creature. He saw Cell as a machine. A machine that needed to be destroyed, not a life that should be taking.

It was the same with Buu. He was a creature of chaos that needed to be destroyed. It wasn't until he threw the Spirit Bomb that he acknowledged Buu, despite being nearly mindless, as being a living creature.

He spared Frieza continuously because despite him being an evil little bastard, he was still a living creature. And he wanted Frieza to suffer with the knowledge of his defeat. To him, Frieza living with his pride shattered and the shame of losing to a 'monkey' was worst than any punishment that Emma could dream up. Even so, he did show Frieza real mercy when he begged for his life.

That made him really no different than Gohan. The difference was that Gohan acknowledged Cell as a life and tried to give him an out. If it were him, he would probably acted the same way.

Maybe he wasn't so different from his son after all.

He was brought out of his thoughts when something caught his eye. He looked up to see a stone monument standing tall in an opened field. It was an off-white structure made from what he assumed to be marble.

He walked towards the stone and stopped short.

It was a grave. Who was buried here? He looked over the monument and saw the name engraved onto the stone.

Slowly, he realized that the grave he was looking at was his own.

* * *

 **Well, that's an interesting ending and another long chapter. Anyway, Goku gets his must needed talk with Chi-Chi, get some family time and training done, and do more compare and contrast between his son and himself. It's amazing how similar and dissimilar they are.**

 **CGG, thanks again for your review. I have to admit, I do enjoy making characters I like suffer. I guess it is part of the whole, misery build character thing. Goku and Gohan will have another talk, and I hope you enjoy the chit-chat between Goku and Chi-Chi this chapter. Goten is young, but Goku can still have a conversation with him.**

 **Until next chapter, take care.**


	6. Those Left Behind

**So sorry for missing last week's update. My precious computer died last week. It was only supposed to get new hard drive and it just stopped working all together. Thankfully, I backed up everything on an external hard drive before taking it in so nothing was lost. I was also able to get a new computer on the cheap that is much better than my old one despite it being used. Because of the type of work I do, I need a high end computer that can easily cost thousands of the dollars (no, I'm not exaggerating). Overall, it was the best outcome out of a bad situation.**

 **But, I'm sure you heard enough about my troubles and are ready to read. Thank you for your patience, reviews, favorites, and follows. Your feedback really helps and encourages me to keep writing.**

 **Now, to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Those Left Behind**

* * *

He stood stunned as he stared at his own grave. Well, more specifically, his tombstone. There was nothing beneath the earth given that his original body was utterly destroyed and what remained was absorbed by Cell, which also got reduced to dust. So why was this here?

Her read the inscription on the grave.

 _Son Goku_

 _The boy who fell from the stars and became the protector of the Earth._

 _He will be dearly missed by his beloved wife, his precious son, and his dear friends._

 _Few knew of his deeds, but his name will not be forgotten in the history of the world._

 _And those who remember his legacy._

He tilted his head. He found the word choice to be overly flowery and very romantic. He suspected Bulma wrote it.

"Hey Dad! Dinner's ready!"

Goku looked up just as Gohan landed next to him. His son stopped short when he realized where he was and stared down at the grave marker.

There was a long silence.

"I didn't expect you to find this place," Gohan spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

"I only found it by chance," Goku replied, looking back at the monument. "I didn't know you made a grave for me. Especially since there was nothing to bury."

Gohan continued to stare at the grave. "We had a memorial service for you. It wasn't that long after the Cell Games. It was before Trunks went back home." He paused as he collected his thoughts. "It wasn't anything special. There was a few speeches and mom have refreshments at the house."

"It's more than I expected," Goku stated.

He wasn't big on funerals or memorials anyway. He never attended one, unless his burial of his grandfather counted. It sucked and he didn't want to go through that again.

Gohan looked towards his father. "You didn't expect us to have a memorial for you? Did you just think we would just accept you were dead and move on like nothing had happened?"

"Actually, yes," Goku answered.

The statement shocked Gohan.

"I never really expected to be buried or to have a funeral," Goku went on. "Since I was a child, I just accepted that when I died there would be no one around to bury me. Before I met Bulma, no knew I even existed."

Gohan's eyes became downcast. "I guess it's to be expected. You grew up in these mountains all alone after great granddad died. Even after you met everyone, you mostly traveled the world by yourself. But...you couldn't think that we would have nothing for you. That we would just forget you existed."

Goku couldn't think of anything to say.

When he was young, he didn't care if he died alone and forgotten. As long as he could do what he wanted, he was happy to go out in a fight. He didn't need a grave. He never liked them personally.

Besides, as a child, he didn't actually think he could die, despite knowing otherwise. Death was something that happened to everyone else, not him. He couldn't be killed. It wasn't until he fought King Piccolo and realized how outmatched he was that truly understood that he could be killed. The realization that his life was going to end at that moment left him shaken. It was really the first time he felt true terror. That along with the anger and frustration that he was going to die before avenging Krillin.

With time and age, he accepted that he could be killed in battle and didn't fear it, even before Piccolo put a hole in his chest. He also accepted that he would most likely die at the hands of an enemy, not around those who cared for him. He almost preferred it that way.

Besides, the idea of growing old, feeble, and dying in bed never sat well with him. He didn't see how anyone saw that as an ideal death. He also didn't want to be like Master Roshi who was past his prime and couldn't do anything to help when bad things happened. That type of helplessness was worse than death.

Since he got into his head that he would die alone in battle, hopefully in a blazed of glory, the aftermath of his death never occurred to him. The very idea that someone would make a grave for him and have a memorial never once entered his mind. The fact that he was grieved was so alien to him.

"We all tried to be brave and respect your decision to remain dead. We knew you did it to protect us, but...we barely kept it together," Gohan spoke. His voice was soft and reflective. "Even though days passed, there were still a lot of tears. Krillin tried to give a speech, but he kept breaking down. Mom...she tried so hard to be strong, but I heard her crying that night. It got worse after she learned she was pregnant."

"I can imagine. Your mom wasn't pleasant to be around when she was pregnant with you," Goku said almost absently.

"Dad...did you know?" Gohan suddenly asked.

He turned towards his son. "Know what?"

"Know that mom was pregnant?" Gohan asked.

Goku paused in thought. "No... I don't think I did. Your mom and me were very intimate during those last days, so I'm not surprise she became pregnant." He smiled at the fond memory. "It was special since we haven't been like that in years." His eyes suddenly became downcast. "Your mom and me...didn't really get along after I came back to Earth. Between being away for almost two years and then hearing about the androids and wanting to train you...I wasn't her favorite person for a long time."

Gohan frowned. "If you had known about Goten, would you have come back?"

He looked away. He should have figured that question would come up. "Most likely...no. If anything, it would have given me more reason to never return. I wouldn't want Goten to end up like you."

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean like me?"

Goku knew he worded that really badly. "What I mean, I didn't want Goten to grow up on the battlefield." He thought carefully about his next words, wanting to make sure he didn't put his foot in his mouth again. "I mean...for me, I enjoy all the fighting, even when the world is on the brink. That's when things get the most fun, actually. That's how I always been. There has only been two times when I didn't enjoy a fight. You're not like that. You only fight when you have no choice."

Gohan blinked. "What two fights you didn't enjoy?"

"I would rather not remember them," he spoke softly.

Gohan stared at him. He heavily suspected one of those fights to be the battle with Frieza. Given what happened, it wasn't surprising. But what was the other fight?

"Anyway, it was my mistake thinking you were like me. I mistook your eagerness to help people as a desire to fight," Goku admitted, getting back to the main subject. "On one hand, I regret putting you in the Cell Games. But, I had no choice."

"You didn't want Goten to fight?" Gohan questioned.

"I didn't want him to feel like he _had_ to fight. If he loved fighting, that's good. If he dislikes it, that's cool too," Goku said. "In some ways, I feel like you weren't given a choice. That you were pushed into it all, you know?"

Gohan shook his head. "I may not love fighting like you, but it was never forced on me." He paused as he thought about his words. "Okay, Piccolo did force me, but I wanted to defend the Earth from the Saiyans once I learned to survive in the wilderness. It was also my choice to go into space to find Namek and search for the Dragon Balls. I also chose to confront Frieza both on Namek and when he came to Earth. And, I would have been mad if you left me out of training for the androids and Cell. You didn't force me to do any of that."

"Perhaps I didn't force you directly, but my presence certainly did," Goku said. "Chi-Chi was just telling me about how I live for violence and how she was afraid of that violence taking you. Thinking about it more, I think she was right. I made too many enemies to live a peaceful life."

As he said that, he wondered if he could live peacefully. The life and deaths fights were fun and exciting. He felt so alive fighting monsters like Cell and Buu, and powerful rivals like Piccolo and Vegeta. Even though his battle with Frieza turned _extremely_ sour, he couldn't lie that he did enjoy it at first and somewhat wished that Frieza wasn't such an irredeemable, evil bastard.

But...he also enjoyed those peaceful times with his family. He could honestly say those five years of peace before Raditz came were some of the best years of his life. That time gave him a son, something he never though he would have or even wanted.

He still remembered the day when Gohan looked at him with those big innocent eyes filled with love and called him daddy. It was a warm, indescribable feeling that moved him closed to tears. It was a feeling that he could never have on the battlefield and nothing else even compared. He wanted things to remain that way forever.

Those days before the Cell Games, he did his best to recapture some of those feelings. It wasn't quite the same, knowing that the world could end in a couple of days, but it did bring him many happy memories. If they were all going to die in a few days, he wanted to spend that time with his love ones, not training.

Ashamed he couldn't keep any of those happy memories when he died. But at least he gave Chi-Chi and Gohan warm memories of him and gave his wife a final gift in Goten.

He supposed he answered his own question. He loved fighting and always would. But, he enjoyed his peaceful life more. If he never fought beings like Frieza, Cell, or Majin Buu again, he would be happy. Just having people around he could fight when the urge hit and being around his family was more than enough.

"This again," Gohan whispered as he shook his head and looked directly at his father. "Even if that was all true, Goten having a father is far more important. I tried, but at the end of the day, I could only be his big brother."

"I agree, given all I've seen," Goku said before he lowered his eyes. "At the time, however, that was my way of thinking. That keeping you all safe was more important."

They stood in silence for several seconds, reflecting on each other's words.

"Dad, you once told me that you would check on us from the Otherworld. Since you didn't know about Goten, that means you didn't look in on us," Gohan said as the wind brushed his face. "In those seven years, you couldn't find the time to make sure we were alright?"

Now Goku was uncomfortable. How should he handle this? Should he tell him the truth?

He looked at his son, who was staring intensely at him. He knew by his expression that he wouldn't take one of his half-truths.

"I did check, a lot at first. Then I moved to the Grand Kai's planet and met the other dead warriors," Goku said. "From there, I mostly trained so I could become worthy to get lessons from the Grand Kai."

Gohan folded his arms. "So you were too busy training."

"Time is different in Otherworld. While seven years maybe a lot for the living, it's nothing for those among the dead," Goku explained. "I never even realized how long I was dead until Baba told me. To me, it was like a blink of an eye." He closed his eyes. "And...in that time, I forgot all about you guys."

Gohan stepped back in disbelief. "You forgot?"

"In the Otherworld, when a person dies, they slowly lose their memories of life," he explained with a small sigh. "You forget names, faces, everything. The only things you keep are small bits of your life like what planet you came from and the deeds you did to get into Heaven. The longer I stood dead, the more I forgot until one day, I could barely remember a thing about Earth."

Gohan was left shocked. "I've never heard this. I mean, you were dead for close to a year and you remember us, right? The same with Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Piccolo. They never spoke about any memory lost."

"That's because I knew that I wouldn't remain dead. In the case of the others, they had hope that they could be brought back to life. Since our minds were focused on returning to life, we were able to keep a grip on our memories. Especially for me since I knew I had to return to stop the Saiyans. But when I decided to stay dead and stopped watching all of you, I lost my connection to the living world. Without the need to remember life, my mind slowly faded," Goku finshed as he slowly opened his eyes.

Gohan shook his head. "Why would they take your memories? After all you've done, why would they punish you like that?"

"It isn't a punishment. It's to protect us," Goku corrected.

"How is that protection!?" Gohan demanded, becoming more frustrated.

"If something bad was to happen to the Earth, I would have been tormented by the fact that I couldn't help," Goku said before he sighed. "Like with what happened with Buu. If I had remained in Otherworld and not been on Earth, I would have been unaware of the terror happening here and wouldn't feel the need to help, despite knowing that I couldn't interfere with the living world."

"So, it's all so you won't try to help us," Gohan summarized.

He nodded.

"Then, when we die, you wouldn't know us?" Gohan asked.

Goku shook his head. "No. I would have remembered once I lay eyes on you. That's how Baba jogged my memory when she asked me if I wanted to return to Earth for a day. She showed me your image on her crystal ball."

A thought hit Gohan. "Dad, once you returned to Otherworld you would have lost your memory again, right? So, that means you wouldn't have remembered the day you spent with us."

He already figured it out. He's always been so smart. "Yes."

"Then, you meeting Goten, the day mom had planned after the tournament, you wouldn't remember any of it," Gohan went on, not believing what he was hearing.

Goku nodded. "It would've all faded away in a few days."

Gohan began to shake. "Then, what was the point in them letting you to come back if you wouldn't even remember it happened!?"

"The one day pass is more of a benefit for the living than the dead," Goku said. "It gives the dead the chance to express any regrets and feelings they may have towards the people who miss them. And it gives those left behind a sense of peace and makes them happy. At least, that's how I understand it. I wouldn't have remember Goten, but he would remember me, even if it was just for a day."

Gohan frowned. "That's...depression..."

"Death tends to be," Goku said, trying to be lighthearted.

"I still think it's cruel. Taking your memories, your life away. I can understand why, but those are your precious memories built over a lifetime," Gohan said, calming down. "They deserved to be treasured and enjoyed. Not buried."

"When you're dead, memories tend to cause more pain than happiness," Goku said in a far off voice. "Because you always think about the people you left behind, the places you miss, the food you used to eat, and what you lost. Before my mind went, I did think about you guys a lot." He chuckled humorlessly. "I remember a long time ago King Kai told me that the people in Hell actually keeps their memories for that exact reason. They suffer because they can remember life."

"But you remember everything now, right?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah, my memories are back to normal, more or less," Goku said. "I was able to keep my mind after returning Otherworld since I was around you and worrying about Buu. I guess you could say those things kept me grounded."

"Being dead doesn't sound too pleasant." He paused. "Although, I died and don't remember," Gohan said after some thought."

Goku hummed. "You weren't dead long so you wouldn't have many memories. It would have been fairly boring anyway since you probably just stood in line waiting for Emma to judge you and given all those killed by Buu, it was a long line." He lowered his head. "The first minutes after death are always the worse, though. Especially if your body is vaporize. You exist as a spirit unable to move or know where you are. You can't see, can't hear, you just exist. It doesn't last long but it's a terrible experience."

Gohan winced. "I...I think I remember that."

"It's my fault, you know," Goku suddenly said.

Gohan stared at his father. "Your fault? What's your fault?"

"You were killed by Buu because I couldn't save you in time," Goku said slowly. "After Buu transformed into his final form, he made a ball of energy so big that Vegeta and me had no way to stop it. We had to run. We flew to save you, but...on my way I picked up Denda and Mr. Satan. Those precious seconds kept me from reaching you guys in time and you died with the Earth."

Gohan became quiet. "So...that's what happened. Although, if given a choice, I'm glad I died with the Earth instead of within Buu." He gave a smile that had no humor behind it. "I was actually happy when I realized I was dead since I didn't want to be a part of that monster for all eternity."

"I don't know why I saved them. I saw them there, frightened as Buu's energy reached them, and I just acted without thinking," Goku said, not paying too much attention to Gohan. "My actions cost you, Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo your lives. Sad thing about it, I don't regret saving them. If given another chance, I would probably do it again."

Gohan shook his head. "You did the right thing. I would have been angry if I learned Denda died when he could have been saved. You did what you thought was best and acted with your heart. You just ran out of time."

Goku laughed humorlessly. "You're much more forgiving than Vegeta was. He was ready to kill me."

"Vegeta will be Vegeta and it all worked out. We're alive along with the rest of the planet. That's what matters," Gohan said.

"Yeah, but I had hoped you wouldn't die, not until it was your time. Although the Dragon Balls can restore life, it also means you have to experience the pain of dying again," Goku stated. "It sucks enough the first time."

"To be honest, I'm surprised I lasted this long," Gohan admitted. "After so many close calls, it took a planet exploding on me while I was unconscious to take me out. Guess that's something to be happy about."

Goku chuckled.

"Oh, we're so late!" Gohan suddenly exclaimed. "I came to get you for dinner and we've been talking this entire time!"

Goku waved his hand. "It's okay. I'm sure Chi-Chi will understand." He glanced back at the grave. "Although, what to do with this? I guess it could stay up."

Gohan shook his head. "No, I will pick it up later and put it in storage. It's so odd looking at it now with you being here."

Goku smirked. "Save it for later, huh?"

"If you want to think of it that way," Gohan said, not caring for the black humor.

The two took off into the air, heading towards the house.

"Umm, dad, there's something I've been wondering," Gohan spoke up, getting Goku's attention. "When you die and if your body is intact, do you want a burial or a cremation?"

Goku tilted his head in thought. "I don't know. Chose one you think is best." He paused for several seconds. "Although, I would say I lean towards cremation. I've seen what bodies look like after someone been dead for awhile."

Or when a body been through a lot of trauma. His grandfather's crushed; mangled body remained fresh in his mind till this day. Learning that he was the one who did it only added to the bitterness. His grandpa may have forgiving him, but he still felt terrible. That man took care of him even after he was such a terrible baby and he repaid him by crushing him into the ground.

He shook his head. He had enough bitter thoughts for one day.

* * *

Dinner was mostly quiet since Goku was more interested in stuffing his face than talking. He did half listened to Gohan talked about school, Videl wanting to join Gohan as a superhero, and something about how students were complaining about him taking PE.

Goten was also giving more detail about his day with Trunks and how Vegeta was so much nicer than before, going as far to treat them to ice cream.

Personally after the entire thing with Buu, he was surprised that anyone still had a sweet tooth. Then again, he wasn't one who cared for sweets too much, although he did loved chocolate and ice cream. Chocolate especially since it was a luxury food for him growing up. It was one of the few things he would eat slowly to savor.

"Hey dad, won't you play with me?" Goten suddenly asked.

Goku looked at his youngest son. "Sure. Play what?"

"With the toys I got from Trunks. He has these cool action figures that transformed into vehicles and animals," Goten said.

Goku tilted his head. He never actually played with toys and neither did Gohan, at least not enough to talk about. He always busy with his books and stuff. It was definitely something new for him. Hopefully, he wouldn't break anything. "Okay."

"Cool!" Goten exclaimed as he quickly polished his plate.

"Don't forget you go to bed in an hour," Chi-Chi reminded.

"I won't," Goten replied as he stood up and dragged Goku into the living room.

Chi-Chi got up from the table and picked up the dishes. "Where were you and Goku earlier? It isn't like you two to be late for dinner."

Gohan helped her picked up the plates. "Dad and I were talking." He fell silence for a moment. "He found the memorial."

Chi-Chi nearly dropped the dishes. "He did?"

He nodded. "He was very surprised. He didn't think we did anything for him."

She shook her head, slowly putting the dishes into the sink. "That's your father. He never thinks about such things."

"He never considered that we would want to honor him?" Gohan asked.

Chi-Chi lowered her head, staring absently into the dishwater. "Your father lived quite a lonely life before Bulma found him. He told me years ago that his grandpa died when he was only seven. That means he spent at least four years alone in these mountains without anyone to take care of him."

Gohan's eyes widened. "I didn't know he was _that_ young."

"I asked him one time what would've happened to him if Bulma never came. He said he would've most likely just lived here for the rest of his life," Chi-Chi said in a distance voice.

Gohan shook his head. "I find that hard to believe given how flighty dad can be."

"Your father was actually quite settled. He had no real desired to explore the world and was very comfortable here." She washed some of the dishes. "It wasn't until Bulma and the hunt for the Dragon Balls that he got to see different places and see how limited his world was. After that, he wanted to see everything."

Gohan smiled. "I bet he'd seen a lot."

"More than I can ever imagine," Chi-Chi said with a soft smile. "He used to tell me stories about his adventures. About how he went to a winter area to fight the Red Ribbon Army, met his grandpa when he came back for a day, and some of his travels when he walked around the world for three years. Your dad lived quite a spectacular life even before he turned eighteen."

There was a long silence.

"Mom, do you think dad is happy to be with us?" Gohan asked softly, breaking the quiet mood.

She stopped washing dishes. "Gohan, why would you ask something like that?"

He sighed. "It's just...dad seems…sad. Lost almost. I don't know what it is, but he just hasn't been himself since that first day. He always have this distance look on his face and it's like he isn't here at times."

Chi-Chi stared back into the dishwater. "He tries to hide it, but he is sad. Although, not for the reasons you think."

This got Gohan's attention.

"You father feels displaced among us. He's been gone a very long time and he feels he doesn't belong with us anymore," she said.

Gohan stared into the living room where Goten and his father played, completely unaware of the serious conversation. "I got that feeling from him. I know he's upset for missing so much of Goten's and my life. He says that he wants to be with us, but...he's so distance."

"Your father has always been like that. He doesn't like to share his feelings unless he's happy," Chi-Chi said as she put some of the dishes up. "Especially when he's sad or upset."

He sighed. "I'm so used to dad being happy and cheerful that I never really noticed when he's upset, except when fighting. I guess he does that on purpose so we won't worry."

His father most likely hid his feelings for the same reason he hid his illness from everyone during the Cell Games. He knew any negative emotion he displayed would affect those around him. For their sake, he kept a happy and calm front so they wouldn't worry. He wondered how many times his dad suffered in silence because he couldn't freely express himself to them.

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "I hate when he does that. He used to be so much more opened when we first got married. He even cried in front of me. Then, after that entire mess with the Saiyans, he became more closed off until I couldn't get anything out of him, especially after he returned from space."

Gohan lowered his head in thought. "I think...it's because he blames himself for everything that has happened."

Chi-Chis turned towards her son.

"It was the reason why he wanted to stay dead. He thought he was protecting us from evil people who wanted to fight and kill him," Gohan said softly. "He even told me that he sees himself as a curse. I think...the entire thing with the androids was his snapping point. They were created to kill him and the world turned into such a mess because of them. And there is Trunks' time..."

"Are you telling me that he thinks that entire mess with Cell was his doing?" Chi-Chi asked with an edge of anger.

"I'm certain he does and...he's right. Cell was created to be the ultimate life form to kill him. Cell wouldn't have existed without him. ...So many people were made to suffer because of Gero's grudge..." Gohan stated before narrowing his eyes. "As strong as dad is, I think learning that broke him on top of not being strong enough to stop Cell. He must have saw himself dying and staying dead as a kind of atonement."

Chi-Chi shook her head in disbelief. She was literally shaking as one of the dishes cracked under her grip. "Unbelievable. Didn't he think about us at all?"

"He did...just not on an emotional level," Gohan said.

As he grew up in these last seven years, he came to realize that his dad really didn't understand emotions. At least human emotions.

His father definitely understood anger, aggression, hatred, pride, and passion, but those were traits and emotions strongly tied with the Saiyans. He did understand more positive emotions like compassion, forgiveness, and love to an extent, but he was certain great-granddad taught him those.

The emotions his father couldn't seem to understand or have a poor gasped of were sadness and love outside of himself. He couldn't seem to understand that people were deeply saddened by his death and that they cared for him outside of him being their protector. They loved him for him, not just because he was super strong. What they wanted and needed wasn't his protection, just him.

What he did may have protected them physically, but it almost destroyed them emotionally.

It angered and frustrated him, but he also understood why his father acted that way. Being an alien and raised in isolation for several years would make one view the world differently. His father wasn't giving a lot of emotional care after great-grandpa died, so he wouldn't understand the value in giving that kind of care to others.

That was probably why he was having such a hard time now. His dad didn't know how to handle his own emotions. On one hand, he wanted to protect them, which in his mind meant staying dead and away from Earth. At the same time, he wanted to be with them, which conflicted with his need to protect.

"What we need dad to see is that he has value outside of being a good fighter," Gohan finally said. "That _we_ need him here as a person."

Chi-Chi bit her lips. She thought she was doing that last night and with her talk earlier today. But apparently Goku needed more convincing.

Suddenly, an idea came to her. "I think I may know of a way."

Gohan stared at his mom with interest as she told him her plan.

* * *

 **More Goku and Gohan talks as I promised. We also shifted from Goku's point-of-view to see Chi-Chi and Gohan's thoughts on Goku's somewhat depression mood swings. I wanted to write this completely from Goku's viewpoint, but I felt it was necessary for the sake of the story. I also thought it gives more insight into Goku.**

 **Bloop, thank you for your review. I do like to put a bit of Reality Ensures into my stories. From what we have seen, Goku's heart virus was like having a series of heart attacks or a prolong cardiac arrest. I don't even want to imagine the pain he was in, or the damage something like will do to a person. Even for a healthy Saiyan it's not hard to imagine that longterm damaged was done. I also enjoy writing Goku like this. Too often I see people mistake Goku's simple and naive nature as him being stupid or brain damage. As someone who wrote fanfics about someone who is a little on the stupid and slow side (Luffy from One Piece) Goku isn't dumb. Just naive and even that gets downplayed as the series goes on and childlike. Goku also comes off as less complex since he only really shows two emotions, happy and anger. Though most of that is because he is actually quite emotional reserve and doesn't like showing negative feelings. In either case, I'm glad you enjoy it and hope you keep reading.**

 **Until next chapter, take care and for those in the US, Happy Thanksgiving and good luck on Black Friday.**


	7. A Little Laughter

**Here it is, the next chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I was surprised by how successful last chapter was since I posted during a holiday and thought most people would be too busy with family and shopping to look at fanfics. Guess I was on that.**

 **Now, onward to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: A Little Laughter**

* * *

Goku let out a loud sigh as he pulled more panels off the roof. It was in rougher condition than he thought. It would only last one more summer at best. He could understand why Chi-Chi was complaining about it.

The front door closing got his attention and he looked down to see Gohan leaving the house.

"Hey, off to school!?" Goku yelled at his son.

Gohan jumped as he looked up. "Dad, you're awake?"

"Yeah, I'm finally getting used to my body," Goku said as he pounded on his chest. "I was able to get up with the sun again." He deflated slightly. "Although, I may still need to take a nap later."

"What are you doing?" Gohan asked, he looked down and saw the broken roof tiles.

"Oh, I'm repairing the roof," Goku answered, tearing off more panels. "I heard Chi-Chi saying at the tournament that you needed the prize money to replace it and fix the plumbing. I may not get to the plumbing today, but hopefully tomorrow."

Gohan blinked. "Dad...do you even know how to fix a roof?"

"Of course I do. I built this house after all," Goku stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

Gohan gasped. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I built it after Chi-Chi and me got married. She didn't like staying at grandpa's house. She said it was too small," Goku said, pulling off my tiles. "So, I built a bigger house. And Ox-King helped, too."

"Granddad and you built everything?" Gohan asked in awe.

"Everything except the kitchen. We had to buy that using Ox-King's money," Goku replied, pointing at the dome. "We also had someone do the electrical and other complicated stuff."

"I didn't know you were so skilled," Gohan said almost meekly.

"I always been really good with my hands and I did constructing work when I trained under Master Roshi," Goku said before his eyes suddenly became downcast. "And...I had to rebuild my grandpa's house after it was destroyed."

"How was it destroyed?" Gohan asked, missing his dad's sudden changed in mood.

There was a very long, uncomfortable silence.

Goku attempted to keep his face impassive, but he knew he let his emotions slipped when he saw the concern expression on his son's face. Gohan always seemed to read him the best, even compared to Chi-Chi.

"You don't..." Gohan started.

"No, it's okay," Goku cut off, shaking his head. "The house was destroyed by me after I transformed under the full moon. ...It was the same night I killed grandpa."

Gohan winced and lowered his head. "I'm sorry for bringing that up," he whispered.

"It was a long time ago and I apologized to grandpa. It's in the past," Goku said, but it was slightly forced.

His grandpa did forgive him. He was actually upset that he found out. As far as he was concern, it was all just a terrible accident and he was utterly blameless.

He didn't quite feel the same way, but knew there was a little point thinking about it now. If he were to be punished, it would have been done years ago. Maybe his years alone and the danger he tended to attract were his punishment.

"Anyway, you better get going. You're going to be late," Goku said, clearing his head. He really needed to stop his mind from wondering.

Gohan gasped as he glanced at his watch. "You're right!"

"I can teleport you if you want," Goku offered. "I can lock on to Videl's energy."

Gohan shook his head. "No thanks. People think I'm weird enough with the whole Saiyaman, Golden Fighter thing. The last thing I need is to suddenly appear before them."

Goku frowned. "I still don't see what the big deal is."

"You would if you ever went to high school," Gohan answered before taking off.

Goku hummed. Maybe Gohan had a point. There was a lot about his son he didn't understand because he never went to school. Perhaps he should pay the school a visit once he was done with the roof.

Repairing the roof didn't take as long as he originally thought. Despite not doing this type of work in years, the task was almost mindless to him. He wondered why Gohan couldn't do this. He was more than smart enough to learned to do this. Maybe he should teach him, just in case something happened. It would help saved Chi-Chi some money.

With the task done, he jumped from the roof and went to wash up. He could tell by the smell coming from the house that Chi-Chi had lunch ready. He wanted to eat right now, but Chi-Chi wouldn't let him near the food unless he was clean. Yeah, that was one part he really missed from being dead.

After a quick wash up, he walked into the kitchen and drooled when he saw that Chi-Chi had made a giant lunch for him. Not only that, but it was made from foods that were especially his favorites.

Chi-Chi smiled at him. "Surprise?"

"Oh, what's the occasion?" he asked.

"None. It's just my way of thanking you for fixing the roof. Saved us a bunch of money," she answered with a huge smile.

Goku tilted his head.

Chi-Chi never rewarded him for doing what he was 'supposed' to do. Fixing anything that broke since he didn't work was one of her many demands. He usually had to do something really unexpected to get a special meal.

"Well, are you just going to stand there?" Chi-Chi asked with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

He didn't have to be told twice before he sat down and dug into the food. Goten joined them a few minutes later. Apparently, he lost track of time watching one of his cartoons.

"Hey, Goten, do you want to drop by Gohan's school?" Goku suddenly asked, making sure to swallow his food before talking.

Goten's face lit up. "Would I!?"

"Goku, you can't go to Gohan's school now. He's in class. Besides, you'll embarrass him," Chi-Chi said.

"Oh, I won't go now. I'll go when school lets out. It ends around three, right?" Goku asked.

Chi-Chi nodded, but she had a frowned on her face. She still disliked the idea.

"Then it's settled. We'll leave around that time. That way, we won't bother any of Gohan's studies," Goku said as he stuffed more food in his mouth.

Goten cheered. "Yay! I get to see Gohan's school!"

"Just don't do anything to embarrass him. Gohan is at that age," Chi-Chi warned, knowing that there was no stopping her husband now.

Despite popular belief, she didn't have complete control of her husband. Once he had an idea or an urge to do something, he usually found a way to do it, with or without her permission.

Goku looked at his wife. "Age?"

"Teenage years," she classified. "He's at that age where everything his parents do embarrasses him. He's also very socially aware."

Goku continued to stare at his wife. He didn't completely get it.

Then again, his teen years were mostly spent trapped at Kami's Lookout. He thought for sure he would die of boredom up there on top of getting sick of Mr. Popo wiping his butt on the floor. He did notice that he got angrier and frustrated more easily during those times. He also took losing much more personally, often sulking after Mr. Popo beat him.

Through all of that, he never became more 'socially aware'. But he also had no parents that could embarrass him. The closest thing he had to that was Master Roshi in his more perverted moments. Even then, he was never embarrassed at his former master. More concern for his health given how many times Bulma smacked him and Launch shoot him. Chi-Chi would break something if he touched her and 18….how was he still alive?

Chi-Chi sighed. "I supposed you wouldn't understand. Just respect Gohan's feelings."

He smiled. He could do that.

Once lunch was done, he spent his time hanging out with Goten, trying to learn more about his youngest son. They watched television, played board games, cards, and played with more of Trunks' toys. Goten was surprising good at checkers, but couldn't keep a straight face while playing go fish.

What Goten really wanted to do was play video games, but Chi-Chi absolutely refused to buy him a console. She found video games to be even more of a waste of time than television, since you could at least learned something from watching TV, in her words. He didn't agree. He had little experience with video games, but he found them good for hand, eye coordination.

From his time with Goten, he could tell that the boy was very smart. It just wasn't obvious like Gohan since he expressed himself differently. Then again, he was certain everyone in the house was smarter than him.

Outside of fighting, he was kinda of a brute. He didn't have any real issue with that. He just had no real desire outside of getting stronger. Gaining power and fighting strong people was his life and he wouldn't have it any other way.

But looking at Gohan and Goten, he wondered how his life would have been different if he was raised more 'normally'. What would his life be like if he went to school, got an education, got a job, and stuff like that.

Personally, stuff like that sounded extremely boring. But it must have some charm since that was the life Gohan wanted and the life all his friends, except Tien and Chiaotzu, lead after they gave up martial arts.

Outside of those two, the only other person who could relate to him on this matter was Vegeta. The thought that the Saiyan prince was the closest thing he had to a kindred spirit left a funny taste in his mouth.

Vegeta and him had a far better relationship than before thanks to their unique experience with Buu. He was fused to the guy for almost thirty minutes, allowing them to share thoughts, feelings, and even memories. In that time, they were the closest that any being could be to each other. He could actually called Vegeta a friend now.

But he still wasn't his favorite person in the world. Vegeta had changed, but this was still the same guy who willingly sold his soul for power, which unleashed a demon that ravage the Earth, murdered their beloved families and friends, and threatened the entire universe.

Yeah, Vegeta paid the ultimate price for his actions and more than made up for his mistake, but one just didn't forget something like that. Not even him.

Perhaps his problem with Vegeta was that he was a constant reminder of what he would be if he lived exclusively for battle and never had a family or formed strong tie with others.

Then again, that was a massive improvement. Years ago, he despised Vegeta not only for his part in murdering his friends and threatening his planet, but for being a persistent reminder of what he truly was, a bloodthirsty, ruthless Saiyan.

After meeting his 'brother' he _hated_ what he was.

He knew for a long time that he wasn't a human, or at least not completely human. After wondering the world for three years and finding no one like himself anywhere, it was the only conclusion he could make. He didn't dwell on it too much and it never really bothered him. He was what he was. As far as his friends were concern, he was human and he was more than happy to let them keep believing that.

Then Raditz came and turned his entire world upside down. Finding out that he was an alien was shocking enough, but learning that he came from a race of monsters who dumped him on some planet and expected him to murder everyone so they could sell the Earth to the highest bidder was just too much. He rejected it and refused to believe it.

After a year, he came to accept it, although very begrudgingly. He still hated being a Saiyan, but he liked the benefits it gave. His strengths and abilities came from being part of that race. It's what gave him the edge over all his opponents. If being a Saiyan was a curse, then he did his best to make it a blessing.

It wasn't until Vegeta's first death and learning what Frieza did to the Saiyans that he started to take real pride in his race. He accepted that his race was a bunch of remorseless, murderous bastards and the universe was probably better off without them, but he still hated Frieza for killing them. The Saiyans worked loyally for him and they were wiped out because he feared them. Good or bad, it wasn't good to betray your allies.

It was also around that time that he started to respect Vegeta as a person, instead of an enemy that he wanted to fight and eventually kill. They still couldn't stand to be in the same room together, but there was a mutual respect for each other's strength.

Until the battle with Buu, he always thought Vegeta and him would remind rivals who tolerated each other existence. To think that he could actually see the proud prince as a real friend was something he never would believe was possible. And, although Vegeta would never say it, he knew he felt the same.

Maybe...it was time he had a real talk with Vegeta that didn't end with them punching each other. Although he accepted years ago being a Saiyan, he actually knew very little about his own race, besides them being space pirates.

He wanted to learn more about them, but the only sources of information he had were Vegeta and King Kai and King Kai wasn't the most honest person when it came to this subject. He told him that lie about the Saiyans dying from a giant meteoroid caused by the planet's guardian. He knew he didn't tell him the truth to protect him, but it still left a sour taste in his mouth. And Vegeta...until recently they weren't exactly on good speaking terms.

Now that their relationship was much friendlier, maybe he could talk to him. It would be nice to know more about himself. Perhaps even his parents.

"You're really fun, dad," Goten suddenly spoke, getting Goku's attention. He seemed to be spacing out a lot lately.

Goku smiled at the compliment. "Thank you."

"You're just like Gohan said you were," Goten continued.

This got his attention. "What did Gohan say about me?"

Goten grinned. "He said that you were the most powerful being the universe and a hero who fought monsters and died protecting us. He also said that you were like an angel and everyone felt good being around you."

"He said that, huh?" he chuckled.

He didn't particularly care for how his friends and family tended to use angelic terms to describe him. He was far too selfish to be an angel.

Goten nodded. "Mom talked about you a lot, too. She said you were gentle and kind to everyone."

Well, it was obvious both Gohan and Chi-Chi gave the whitewash version of him.

Goten's eyes suddenly became downcast. "Dad...I'm sorry I called you a coward and weak."

"Huh? What you mean?" Goku asked.

"When...when you told me that Gohan was killed by Majin Buu, me and Trunks called you many mean things," Goten went on as he played with his fingers. "I was mad that you didn't saved big brother and you were knocked out."

Goku gave a tensed smile. "I don't blame you for being mad. I did let Gohan get badly hurt because I wasn't there." Not to mention he helped revived Buu.

"What were you doing when Gohan fought Buu?" Goten asked. "I mean, how did you get knock out? Did Buu do it?"

Goku became quiet.

He _really_ didn't want to tell Goten that he was fighting Vegeta. That information would eventually find its way to Trunks and Vegeta would have to answer some difficult questions. He also didn't know how much Trunks or Goten's knew about Vegeta's past. If they didn't have that talk yet, it wouldn't be good for him to tell him.

"Me and Vegeta had a disagreement about how to handle Buu," Goku answered carefully. "He ended up knocking me out in the end." It was mostly true.

Goten's eyes widened. "Mr. Vegeta knocked you out? How did it happen?"

Goku rubbed the back of his head, remembering Vegeta slamming his fists into it. He was lucky that he was dead; otherwise he may have had serious brain damaged. Until that moment, he didn't think it was possible knocked a dead man out.

"I drop my guard," he mumbled. When was he going to learn, never turn his back on Vegeta.

"If you and Vegeta worked together like me and Trunks, I bet you would've beat Buu easily," Goten said.

Goku chuckled. "Yes we would. But we don't like working together. We liked to fight on our own."

Goten tilted his head. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, we just do. I guess it's because we're Saiyans."

"But me and Trunks are Saiyans," Goten pointed out.

"You're half Saiyans. Don't forget, you're also half human," Goku corrected.

"Aren't humans and Saiyans the same?" Goten asked.

Goku folded his arms. "We may look the same, but we're actually quite different. Saiyans are much stronger, tougher, and have better senses than humans. We also have tails."

Goten's eyes widened. "Really!?" He paused in though. "I do remember seeing a tail in Gohan's old pictures. He said he lost it." He frowned. "But why don't I have a tail?"

"Really, you never had one?" Goku questioned.

He shook his head. "I saw my baby pictures and I never had a tail."

Goku hummed. "Maybe you just weren't born with one. I know Trunks wasn't. Something about tails being recessive in half Saiyans."

Goten frowned deeper. "I want a tail."

Goku laughed. "Tails are pretty cool."

"But why don't you and Vegeta have one?" Goten asked. "Did you lose them like Gohan?"

"I had my tail removed when I was a teenager. Vegeta lost his in battle," Goku stated.

"Why did you have your tail removed?" Goten questioned further.

"It was...recommended," Goku said, trying to find the right words.

Kami more or less insisted that his tail be removed. He knew it had something to do with the moon, but never made the connection. He didn't want to lose his tail, but decided to take Kami's advice. He was Guardian of the Earth, after all, and he thought his tail would hinder him in battle, despite long overcoming the weakness of his tail being grabbed.

Learning the truth, he was glad his tail was gone. He did miss the appendage. It was always good to have an extra limb handy. But...learning it was his tail that made him turned into the monster that murdered his grandfather...he didn't think he could ever look at it again.

And if he did still had his tail he could never be on a planet with full moons again. Sure, he could try not to look up, but he would slip eventually and someone could die. He could learned to control his ape form like Vegeta did, but it was more troubled than it's worth. Becoming a giant ape may have been useful a decade ago, but now it was just troublesome. It was too big and the power boast was minimal compared to his Super Saiyan state.

Now that got him wondering. What happened if you merged becoming a Great Ape with becoming a Super Saiyan?

"I wouldn't have gotten rid of it," Goten said. "If I had a tail, I could swing from the trees like a monkey."

This made Goku smile and poked his son on the ribs. "You're already a little monkey."

Goten giggled before he gave his father a serious look. "So, does that mean Saiyans are better than humans?"

Goku shook his head. "No. We maybe stronger than humans, but we aren't better."

"Why not?" Goten asked, his eyes filled with innocents.

Goku thought carefully about how to answered that. "We are born gifted. We have powers and abilities that humans will never have."

"Even Uncle Krillin, Yamcha, and 18?" Goten questioned.

Goku nodded before dwelling for a moment. "Well, 18 is a little different since she's an android who's been enhanced to reach our level. Even still, we aren't better. Just different. Human are kinder, gentler, and compassionate. These are things that Saiyans are not born with. We had to learn to be those things."

"I didn't have to learn those things," Goten countered.

"That's because of your human blood," Goku said. "See, you have the best of both worlds. You have the strengths of a Saiyan, but the heart of a human." He pointed at his son's heart to get his point across. "It's those things that make you powerful."

Goten's eyes widened in awe, touching his chest. "Really?"

Goku smiled and nodded. "Never think less of you human half, Goten. You're just as much a human as you are a Saiyan. Take pride in that."

Goten sat quiet for several seconds. "You're really smart and wise. Just like Gohan said you were." He burst into a wide smile. His eyes were practically sparkling. "Having a dad is so great! No wonder Trunks is so cool."

Goku stared at his youngest child for a moment. "Goten, did you ever wanted a father? I mean, you went your entire life without one."

He nodded. "Yeah. Gohan's great, but I always wanted a daddy like Trunks. Daddies can teach you stuff like fighting, hunting, and taking you to the park. And you've been teaching me about Saiyan stuff."

"You don't need a daddy to do those things," Goku pointed out.

"But it isn't the same," Goten said before staring at his father. "Don't you want to be my daddy?"

"Of course I do!" Goku exclaimed, much louder than he intended. "It's my greatest joy to be your daddy."

Goten giggled. "Then I will be the best son in the world so you don't ever want to leave again. I want you to stay forever!"

Goku felt himself becoming warm. It felt similar to how he felt when Gohan called him daddy that first time.

"Oh Dad, isn't it time to visit Gohan yet?" Goten suddenly asked.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was ten past three. "Yeah, it's time." He turned towards Chi-Chi who was doing chores in the kitchen. "We're leaving!"

He walked up to his youngest son and gently touched his shoulder. He put his fingers up to his forehead and focused on finding Gohan's energy. It didn't take him long. Gohan had a very unique energy signature, especially after training with Old Kai.

In less than a second, they vanished from their home in the mountains and appeared by a large yellow building.

Goku knew by the noise in the distance and the somewhat foul smell in the air that they were within a city. It was also a littler warmer. The mountains always had cooler weather.

"Dad!" Gohan exclaimed in surprise.

Goku looked up to see his son in his school uniform standing next to Videl and another girl he didn't recognized. She was about as short as Videl with blond hair and blue eyes.

"Goku, why are you here?" Videl stuttered, getting over her shock.

Goten waved happily. "Hi, Gohan! Dad said we could visit your school!"

The blond girl turned towards Gohan. "That's your dad?"

Gohan rubbed the back of his head and blushed. "Yeah... This is my father, Goku. And that's my little brother, Goten."

The girl looked between the two. "Wow. Your brother looks just like your dad. Like a little clone."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Goku asked bluntly.

"Aw, this is Erasa. A school friend of mines," Videl introduced.

Goku smiled. "Oh, well nice to meet you."

Erasa stared at him for a moment. "Funny. I thought Gohan said you were dead."

"Well, I was until a couple days ago," Goku answered, making poor Erasa more confused.

Gohan jumped between them. "He's such a kidder. What I meant was that my parents were separated until recently."

"Oh, I get it, marriage problems. My parents went through the same thing," Erasa said. "Although, saying that he was dead was a bit dramatic."

Goku tilted his head. "Marriage problems?"

"But mom and dad get along fine," Goten said, just as confused as his father.

"Anyway, we better get going. Mom hates when we're late," Gohan said, desperately trying to change the subject.

Goten frowned. "But I didn't get the chance to see your school."

"I'm curious myself," Goku spoke up. He looked over the building. "Sure is big. Nothing like the schools I saw in my travels. The ones I saw were much smaller. Some were even made of wood."

"We can do that later," Gohan said with some heat, surprising Goku.

Gohan almost never raised his voice. The only time recently he's done so was when he suggested Videl to kiss Old Kai. Was this what Chi-Chi meant about Gohan being more 'socially aware'?

"Gohan, it's okay," Videl said. She gave a calming smile. "We can give them a quick tour of the school. I'll just tell the teachers that they're with me."

"You...don't have to do that," Gohan said, still blushing.

Videl shook her head. "It's no big deal." She glanced at Erasa briefly before continuing. "Given everything he's done, it's the least I can do."

Goten jumped in excitement. "Thanks, Videl! You're going to make a wonderful big sister."

Now Gohan was bright red.

Erase looked between her two friends. "Big sister? Are you..."

"We're not!" Gohan quickly interrupted.

Videl grabbed Goku's arm and led him towards the school's grounds. "Come on."

Gohan quickly grabbed Goten's arm and did the same, too embarrass to say goodbye to Erasa.

After things calmed down, Videl gave a brief history of the school and the city, how it was once called Orange City until it was renamed in honor of her father after he beat Cell. Videl got a sour expression as she said that last part.

Once the ground tour was done, they went into the school where Goku and Goten got to checkout the classrooms and the extra school activities like basketball and baseball.

Goten was impressed by everything he saw while Goku silently took in the sights.

It was interesting seeing the normal world, especially the sports. He actually played baseball a little during his travels as a kid. It wasn't too much fun, though. It was too easy for him to hit home runs, catch balls, and strike out players. He couldn't see how Yamcha could do it for a living without dying of boredom. Still, he would love to play with people within his league.

"Are you going to go out for any sports?" Goten asked his big brother.

Gohan shook his head. "Nay, between my other after school activities and homework, I wouldn't have time."

"And given that everyone knows he's Saiyaman, they will be a lot of protest with him joining any team," Videl stated with a chuckle.

Gohan laughed too.

Goku said nothing, but he knew that wasn't the complete truth. Gohan didn't do sports because, like him, it was just too easy. He would have to hold back so much to keep from hurting anyone. And seemed to want to keep a low profile.

"Hey, Goku," Videl suddenly spoke, catching his attention. "I wanted to thank you."

Goku gave her a baffled look.

"I mean. You and Gohan didn't bust my dad for telling that lie about defeating Cell," Videl explained. "I hate that he took credit for Gohan and your hard work. Especially since you sacrificed your life to save us. And he did it _again_ against Majin Buu. If you wanted to, you could ruin him." She sighed. "Although he does deserve it, he's still my father."

Goku smiled. "Think nothing of it. I don't mind him taking credit for Cell and Buu. He saved us by getting the people of Earth to give energy for the Spirit Bomb and saving Vegeta from Buu. He's very much the Earth's hero."

Videl frowned. "But..."

"And I don't want the credit. If Mr. Satan wants the fame, he can have it," Goku said. "I couldn't stand living his life."

"But it must make you a little angry," Videl said. "I mean, you saved this world so many times and when you asked for help, no one would listen to you. They completely blew you and Vegeta off. You were trying to save us and the world turned its nose at you."

Goku bit his lips. "I admit, I was upset." His eyes narrowed. "I watched Vegeta swallow his pride and plead with the people of Earth for energy. I then watched him nearly be beating to death by Buu, unable to help because I was trying to collect energy for the Spirit Bomb. For a moment, I honestly didn't want to save any of you."

Gohan turned towards his father in shock.

"But I accepted and wanted not to be known. So, I guess I can't complain that not many people gave their energy when I asked," Goku said in a lighter tone. "In this world, I'm a nobody. Mr. Satan is this world's champion and only he could move the people of Earth to act."

Videl shook her head. "I hate that it's like that. I want the world to know that Gohan and you are the real heroes." She lowered her eyes. "To know what I know now…it's like my entire life has been a lie."

Gohan walked beside Videl and put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't say that. Dad's right. Mr. Satan helped save the world. He also helped save the world from Cell. He, along with another precious ally, pushed me to unleash my full power. Without them, Cell would have surely killed us all."

Videl gave a soft smile.

Goku walked ahead to give the young couple some space. Although he was far from an expert on love or romance, even he could see the bond rapidly forming between those two. At the rate they were going, he was going to have daughter-in-law by the end of the year.

"So, you really are going to be my new sister!" Goten suddenly exclaimed, shattering the mood.

"Goten!" Gohan exclaimed.

Instead of being embarrassed, Videl giggled.

After about an hour, the tour was done and they were back outside.

"This is a really nice school," Goku said as he turned towards his son. "You must have worked hard to get here, Gohan."

Gohan blushed. "I guess."

"Don't be modest," Videl teased, elbowing Gohan's sides. "He got the highest test scores out of everyone who applied."

Goku smiled in pride. "Really. That's great. Looks like all that hard work paid off."

"That's cause big brother is the smartest guy in the world!" Goten declared, causing Gohan to blush deeper.

Goku turned to Videl. "I heard some kids have been giving you a hard time. Is everything okay?"

Videl winced before lowering her head. "It's fine. I mean...it was hard at first, but I'm getting over it. I shouldn't let them get to me any way."

"You shouldn't be ashamed about what happened. Everyone loses," Goku assured.

She shook her head. "But I'm the daughter of Mr. Satan. I wasn't supposed to lose. At least not in the first round. And..."

Goku waited patiently for her to continue.

"And, it was the moment when I finally prove myself. That I am a worthy fighter in my own right," Videl said barely above a whisper. "I wanted to surpass my dad."

Goku smiled. "I see. Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're already stronger."

Videl's head shot up. "What!?"

Gohan gave her a meek smile. "The truth is Videl, you were stronger than your father when I met you. I didn't want to say anything because I know how much you admire him."

"I'm surprise you haven't noticed," Goku said. "With the training you got from Gohan, you're way ahead of Mr. Satan."

She shook her head. "No...I never... I mean I've never seen my dad train. I also believed that he beat Cell, so there was no way I was stronger than him."

Goku laughed.

"Father," Gohan scolded.

Videl blushed furiously. "It's not funny!"

"That's not why I'm laughing," Goku said before he glanced at Gohan, who was staring curiously at him. "It's just that you and Gohan are so much alike. You both under value yourselves and think your fathers are better than what they are."

Both Gohan and Videl looked at each other, taking in Goku's words.

Goku looked directly at the young woman, becoming serious. "Videl, you are a brilliance, talented fighter. You learned to fly within a few weeks. It took me and the others years to do it. You are only missing some training. With practice, you can become the strongest woman in the world." He thought about his own words. "Well…maybe the second strongest next to Android 18."

Videl frowned. "But I won't be up to you guys' level."

"No. The difference's too great," Goku stated bluntly.

"Dad!" Gohan exclaimed.

Videl held up her hand. "No, it's okay, Gohan. It's painful, but I am happy to know where I stand." She gave a small smile. It wasn't a happy smile, but it wasn't bitter either. "I would rather live with the harsh truth then the comfortable lie I've lived in my entire life."

"Videl..." Gohan whispered.

"Besides, even if I never surpass you. Even if I am just a weakly human compared to you Saiyan, doesn't mean I will give up." Videl smirked at Gohan. "I will work hard and train myself to become the best martial artist I can be. I will surpass any human limits"

"That's the way," Goku cheered.

Gohan sighed, sounding relieved. "I was afraid you would lose your passion for martial artists if you knew about the Saiyans."

"Well, it does sucks knowing that there are aliens who make humans look like cockroaches, but I won't let that discourage me," Videl said. "I've been a martial artist for most of my life. I couldn't give it up even if I wanted to."

"So, do you want to come back with us, Gohan, or are you going to fly?" Goku asked, happy that him and Videl had this conversation.

"I guess I can go home with you guys," Gohan said after a moment of thought. "I'm not quite ready to go back to being Saiyaman, yet."

Goku cringed inward when he heard the name. Why Saiyaman of all things? Couldn't he chosen a cooler super hero name? And where did Gohan get the idea of becoming a super hero, anyway?

He shook head and put his fingers to his forehead. He felt Gohan grabbed his shoulder while Goten held on to his pants' leg.

With a blink of an eye, they were back at the house. Chi-Chi jumped slightly when she saw them.

"Honestly, I hate when you do that," she complained.

"Mom, we saw Gohan's school!" Goten yelled as he ran up to his mother.

She smiled. "How was it?"

"It was so cool and big. We saw Gohan's classrooms, sports, and the giant pool that they have. High school is so awesome!"

Chi-Chi affectingly patted her son's head. "Let's see you keep that attitude when you get to high school. For now, let's get ready for training."

Goten nodded and rushed to get his training gi.

Without being asked, Gohan went to do the same.

"You better get ready yourself," Chi-Chi said with a smile.

"Oh, we're going out together again?" Goku asked in excitement.

She nodded and Goku was off to put his gi on.

For the second time, the young family was off to their training ground. Like yesterday, Chi-Chi and Goten started things.

Goku noticed that Chi-Chi wasn't nearly as aggressive as yesterday. She was giving time for Goten to react to her movements and learned from his mistakes. Looks like she was taking their lessons to heart.

"He's getting really good," Gohan commented.

Goku nodded. "Yeah, he is. I can already see the different from yesterday. If he keeps this up, he'll be able to bridge the gap with Trunks."

Gohan chuckled. "Then Vegeta will put Trunks through the ringer to make him even stronger."

Yes he would. From Vegeta's attitude at the tournament, he saw Trunks and Goten's rivalry as an extension of their own. It was a mark improvement since before he barely acknowledged Trunks' existence. Trunks from that other timeline would be proud.

He wondered how that Trunks was doing. He knew that he was more than strong enough to beat those androids and Cell. He also told Trunks where New Namek was so he could restore the Earth's Dragon Balls and repair some of the damage to his own world.

His eyes became downcast.

Even with the Dragon Balls, however, there was no way to fully restore that world. Those who died within that last year would remain dead. His friends were dead. His son was dead. That world forever shattered because of him.

That easily could have been their world if Trunks hadn't come. That should have been their world...

Trunks saved them. He gave them a fighting chance and they couldn't do anything to really help him. He was alone with Bulma to repair a world that was nearly choked to death. A world he helped create because he failed to kill one man. A man he didn't even know existed.

He thought a lot about his raid on the Red Ribbon Army while he lay sick in bed. About what he could have done to stop Gero.

Really, the only thing he could have done was slaughter everyone within the base. He came closed to it. He showed no mercy to any soldier that crossed his path and he killed the head of the army. He killed countless that day, but it only took the survival of one to destroy the world.

It was irony at its finest.

He wanted to laugh. Look at him. He often got on Gohan for thinking of what ifs and here he was doing just that.

What's done was done.

Although Trunks' future was in shambles, it still stood. It could be rebuild. He should be grateful that he was giving even the small opportunity to help put that world back together. It would never be the same, but as long as people lived, there was hope. There was always hope.

Chi-Chi glimpsed over at Goku and saw that he had that distance expression on his face again, a noticeable sign that his thoughts have gone into dark places. She hated that look and she's been seeing it far too often lately.

She glanced at Gohan who also had an expression of concern. Although Gohan and her made plans for tomorrow, they could start cheering him up now. And she had just the remedy.

She stopped sparring against Goten.

"Why we stop?" Goten asked, but Chi-Chi quickly shushed him, not wanting Goku to hear. He was so out it that he noticed nothing.

"Your daddy is off-guard," Chi-Chi whispered as she pointed at his husband. "Perfect for an attack." She winked.

Goten blinked before smiling. His mom gave similar hints when she wanted to cheer Gohan up. It's been awhile since they played this game and it should be extra fun since dad was here.

Goku was unaware of any of this, still lost in his current musings.

"Gotcha!"

Goku snapped out of his thoughts and saw Goten flying towards him at rapid speeds. He had a huge, mischievous grin on his face.

Before he could raise his guard, Goten latched onto his chest and ran his fingers rapidly over him.

He stared down at his son in disbelief.

Was he trying to tickle him? It certainly felt that way, but Goten's efforts had little effect. It felt more like insects were running over him. Well, if he wanted to play games...

He grinned and grabbed Goten before pinning him to the ground. Within seconds, he had his youngest child squealing in laughter as he gently dug his fingers into his armpits and chest.

Goten was funny. Despite looking like him, he inherited his mother's tickle spots. After only a few seconds, he learned that Goten was especially sensitive on his underarms and upper ribs.

"Stop...stop!" Goten squealed. He tried to kick his father off, but he was helpless before his much stronger dad.

"You started it," Goku countered, tickling a little harder.

"Gohan help!" Goten cried, closed to tears from laughing so hard.

Gohan chuckled. Now he saw what his mom was trying to do. "Well, you did start it." He grinned. "But..."

Goku caught the movement from the side of his eyes and dodged his elder son's tackle almost on instinct.

Gohan was taking by surprise as his dad pinned him and started to squeeze his stomach. Now Goku had both of his sons screaming in laughter.

Goku grinned proudly at himself.

Yeah, he still got it. And too bad for Gohan that he remained as ticklish as he remember. Despite growing bigger, he still knew all his son's weak spots by heart. Well, they were fairly easy to remember since Gohan and him share many of the same vulnerable area.

The fun didn't last long before Goten and Gohan were able to wiggle themselves free. Both of their faces red from laughter.

Gohan stared at his dad in mild disbelief, shocked that he was still able to subdue him so effortlessly.

Goku couldn't help being a little disappointed. He used to be able to restrained Gohan and torture him to his heart's content. When he was young, Gohan didn't really mind. Tickle fights were one of his favorite games, especially as a toddler, since Gohan loved being touched and laughing. Well, it wasn't really a fight since he always won handedly.

Now, Gohan was simply too big and strong for a prolong tickle session and given how Gohan tended to act lately, he doubt he would enjoy such games much anymore. He missed those chances years ago...

Oh well. He still had Goten to play with, who seemed to have enjoyed himself given the smile still planted on his face.

"No...no fair..." Goten huffed. He pointed at his father. "You're not ticklish."

Goku smirked, not willing to correct him.

Chi-Chi walked beside him and chuckled at their sons. She now was the one with the mischievous smile. "Oh, he _is_. You just need to know where to get him."

Before Goku could move or deny Chi-Chi's statement, she turned towards him and her hands shot up towards his lower stomach. Within seconds, he was giggling frantically as Chi-Chi caressed his sensitive belly and the lower part of his ribs.

He attempted to pull away, but Chi-Chi was ready for it. With a sweep of her leg, he was sent tumbling to the ground. He managed to keep from landing on his head and spine on reflex, but the impact still left him dazed for several seconds. By the time he regained his bearings, Chi-Chi had mounted him and resumed the torture.

"Weren't you the one who said to always watch your feet," Chi-Chis playfully teased.

Goku couldn't answered as he laughed and gigged as he attempted to catch Chi-Chi's hands, but every time he tried she would move to a different spot. Soon she was rapidly dancing her fingers across his stomach and chest.

Well, looked like Chi-Chi remembered his weak spots as well. Not helping was that his body was still adjusting to its newfound sensitivity, which made the tickling seemed much worst. The pure overdosed of sensation was almost overwhelming.

"Aren't you two going to join?" Chi-Chi asked her sons.

Goku's eyes widen in horror. "No fair!"

Chi-Chi smirked at him. "In this game, there's no such thing as unfair."

Goten didn't have to be asked twice as he rushed over to helped his mom torment his ribs and stomach. Although, he became quickly frustrated when his father's laughter didn't increased.

"No, no, that isn't how you do it. Because of your size you have to focus on one spot," Chi-Chi advised, all without stopping her own torture. She moved one of her hands to his lowered stomach and squeezed, causing Goku to jump. "See, he's really sensitive here."

"Don't tell him that!" Goku yelled through his laughter.

Goten eagerly attacked his dad's lower belly and was delighted to see that he was finally getting a reaction out of his father.

Chi-Chi meanwhile moved her hands up to his chest and underarms, although she did dip to feather his sides, causing her husband to squirm.

Gohan walked over and settled on his father's kicking legs, pinning them to the ground before carefully removing one of his father's boots. Once that was done, he restrained the right ankle and gently stroked the surprisingly soft sole.

He focused his efforts on the middle of the sole. This was a particularly bad spot for Goten and him. When he was a boy, his dad always took advantaged of this, leaving him in tears and begging for mercy with no escaped from the torment. From the way his father's laughter went up by several volumes, he also shared this weak spot, causing Gohan to grin. After all these years, he finally gets to pay his dad back.

Between the three of them, Goku was in complete hysteria and his robust laughter echoed across the mountains. Tears were rolling down his face and he could feel his chest beginning to ache.

If it was one weakness he never overcame, it was his ticklishness. It was even more embarrassing that he was the most ticklish out of everyone in his family. He never bothered to train himself out of it since it's never been a real issue in battle or in play. The one fighter who did tried to use this weakness got shot into the air and he used to have the advantage in these types of games.

Despite Gohan's best attempts, his small hands didn't have much of an effect on him; much like how Goten couldn't really tickled him. Chi-Chi fared better, but he was a stronger and able to dislodged her with a fair amount of ease, although he did let her have her fun for a few minutes before retaliating.

Actually, even with this, he could still escaped without too much trouble. Outside of Gohan, none of them had the power to truly restrain him.

Problem was, it's difficult to control ones' power in a fit emotion, especially laughter. He could slip and badly hurt Chi-Chi or even Goten. He sent Caterpy flying a good one-hundred feet and nearly fried the guy because he couldn't concentrate and briefly lost control. Since he's _much_ stronger now, a lapse in control like that could kill someone.

It was one of the drawbacks of being so powerful. Being disciplined and always in control was important when you could destroy a small planet by just implying too much pressure.

And...honestly...he didn't really want to escaped.

Yes it was torture. But he was also having the time of his life. It's been a very long time, too long, since he laughed like this, even if it was forced. After days of uncertainty, unresolved emotions, and feeling distance from his family, it felt good to let go and laughed.

Funny, when he first got married, he _hated_ being touched like this. He never was, and still wasn't to an extent, someone who liked being touched. He especially disliked being tickled in those early days since he didn't like the lost of control and was often annoyed when Chi-Chi tickled him purposely or accidentally during their first year together.

He still wasn't a fan, but he didn't mind if it was his family. He could tell by their laughter and giggling that they were enjoying themselves, which was worth any personal discomfort. They suffered a lot during these last couple of days too and needed a stress reliever.

Nonetheless, this really needed to stop soon. This was becoming somewhat painful.

"St...Stop!" Goku managed to stuttered after finding his breath.

"That isn't how you end the game, dad," Goten said, giggling the entire time.

"Yeah, dad. You have to surrender," Gohan playfully reminded him, although he did eased up on the tickling so his dad could form sentences more easily.

Goku growled under his breath. He forgot that part, mostly because he never lost a tickle fight. He hated to surrender, even in a game.

But...as he told himself...he was surrendering for _their_ benefit since he could escape. He's just playing along.

"I...give... I give up! I give up!" Goku shouted. His voice squeaked as he yelled.

The second he surrender, the torture ceased.

Goku was left panting for air and still giggling as he attempted to recompose himself. He was covered in sweat from laughing so much and tears strained his face. He knew his cheeks were red even if he couldn't see them given how hot they were along with the rest of his body.

Yeah, he got worked over nicely. Yet...he couldn't get rid of the stupid grin that was plastered on his face or the feeling of happiness pulsing through his body.

He slowly cracked his eyes opened and saw his family staring down at him, each grinning with Goten outright chuckling at him.

"You're right, mom. Dad is really ticklish," Goten giggled.

"Told you. You just need to get him in the right place. Once you find his spots, he becomes a big pushover and giggles like a little boy," Chi-Chi said as she patted her husband's stomach, almost like one would do a dog.

Goku glared at her, not caring for the imagery she painted.

She paid him no mind as she turned towards Goten and raising a finger. "But you're not to do this around anyone else. Even Trunks."

Goten frowned. "Why not."

"Your dad doesn't care for other people touching him, especially in this way. He only doesn't mind around family," she explained as she rolled off of Goku.

Goku was grateful for Chi-Chi telling Goten that. It would be annoying if Goten tried to attack him in front of his friends. It would give them ideas.

Chi-Chi glanced down at her husband, seeing his relieved expression. Although she did it so Goten wouldn't do anything to make his father uncomfortable, she also did it so Goku wouldn't feel incline to get rid of this particular weakness. He mostly kept his ticklishness around for their amusement.

She was very grateful that. He was just so cute when he relaxed and laughed. It was also empowering to have such a strong, invincible warrior under her control by something as simple as a gentle touch.

Him having the same tickle spots as a monkey was also amusing, which she supposed made sense since Saiyans appeared to be a type of evolved monkey with their tails and other features. Which she would never say that out loud since she learned from Bulma that calling a Saiyan a monkey was a racist slur. Something Bulma learned the hard way.

And she could tell that he enjoyed it too, although he would never verbally admit it. That huge, happy smile he had earlier wasn't all forced. She also heard the noticeable glee in his voice as he laughed. He really was a big kitten.

Gohan stood up and offered a hand to his father once his breathing returned to a more normal pace.

Goku took the offer and was able to sit up. "Man, Gohan, when did you become so good?" he asked as he reached for his discarded boot. He took the time to rub his foot, which still tingled from earlier.

"I've been practicing on Goten." He smirked at his younger brother, who stuck his tongue at him.

Goku chuckled. "So, you've been tormenting your poor little brother. Didn't know you could be so mean."

"Yeah!" Goten answered for Gohan. "Gohan is an evil tickle monster. He can even make Trunks cry."

Gohan smiled, obviously very proud of himself. "You both deserved it most of the time. Trying to play pranks on me." He turned towards his dad. "But I can't complain. Playing with Goten and Trunks gave me the experience to finally beat you." He started to snicker "You should have seen yourself. I've never heard you laugh that hard."

"Only because you guys ganged up on me," Goku lightly countered.

"Excuses, excuse," Gohan mocked in good nature.

Goku's eyes twinkled in amusement as he put his boot on. "You know, this means payback."

Gohan grinned. "I would like to see you try."

He was tempted to take up his son's challenge now, but that was enough tickling for one day. Besides, tickle torture worked best when the person wasn't expecting it. He would have his son begging for mercy yet.

With the game finished, the family went back to their sparring session. Throughout the rest of the evening, Goku felt a sense of light heartedness and his thoughts stopped wondering into dark places.

Chi-Chi smiled in triumph as she glanced at her elder son as they prepared to return home.

Gohan returned her smile, happy that their little game worked.

Laughter was an extremely effective medicine and his mother often used tickle fights on him when he was especially depressed after the Cell Games. It wasn't a cure all by any means and the effects were temporary, but they would take any small victory.

Hopefully things would get even better tomorrow.

* * *

 **My longest chapter yet for this story. I am surprised by the length, but there was so much to be said and done. I also wanted a little silliness since this story has been getting a little too serious. My favorite part to write was Goku and Videl's conversations. I didn't originally plan to have them talk like this, but I got inspired by the first _Dragon Ball Super_ credits when you see Goku on a hill with his entire family, including Videl. Since she will be Goku's daughter-in-law it only felt right for them to have a heart-to-heart. Kind of like making her officially part of the family.**

 **Now, for my guest reviewers:**

 **Guest, thank you for your review. People do tend to miss those aspects of Goku's personalty. I think it is because most fans never watched the original _Dragon Ball_ which shows how much Goku changed between it and _Z_ , especially when it comes to killing people. I think people tend to overlook Goku is an alien with a different set of rules and ethics since he does mostly have a human mentality about many things. That is why we get all those 'Goku is a bad father' essays because people try to enforce human (and western) standards him. This is partly why I felt compile to write this story. I wanted something that shows all aspects of Goku, the good, the bad, and the alien. Glad to know that I am succeeding in that.**

 **Sunshine, thank you for your review. Happy to hear that you feel for this story. It is always hard to gauge what comes off as emotional or not.**

 **CGG, thank you for your review. Personally, I don't care about adding movie villains, some I find overrated. I don't mind filler or movies as long as they don't contradict something in canon and most of the movie villains couldn't happened or their existence make little sense. Bojack is somewhat possible, but how he got free contradict canon since Beerus blew up King Kai's planet without freeing him, yet somehow Cell self-destruction does it.**

 **As for Goku knowing about Goten, I doubt he knew since in both the dub and the Japanese text, Goku is quite shock to see Goten and even ask if he's his in the sub. Goku tells Gohan to say sorry for Chi-Chi because he's going to die, again, and this time there was no way for him to be brought back. He was also apologizing for all the times he has been selfish.**

 **osumos, thank you for all your reviews. Happy that you have been enjoying the story so much. Gohan and Goku are still close, but as you see in this chapter, Gohan is going through those difficult years. There is also the upbringing different between them. Goku was raised alone in the mountains, where Gohan had a more normal family life. Although, he acts more like his goofy self around his family and the reason why Gohan's interaction works so well with Goku is because he is wise beyond his years. I also enjoy Chi-Chi and Goku physical interactions.**

 **ALI, thank for your very long review. That was quite a read and thanks for sharing so much of yourself. Small correction, _Evangelion_ is a 80s anime and manga like _Dragon Ball_ , and like _Dragon Ball_ it is going through a rebirth stage, so it is technically not part of the new generation. I also have to somewhat disagree with you about modern anime. I love the new stuff like _Attack on Titans_ , _F_ _ullmetal Alchemist_ (both versions), _Kill La Kill_ , and others. They also have a lot of meaning behind it, especially _F_ _ullmetal Alchemist and_ _Attack on Titans._ The meaning and intent is just different from the older anime. With that said, _Dragon Ball_ , _Robotech_ , and _Sailor Moon_ hold a special place in my heart since those anime are my childhood and got me into Japanese animation. But to each their own, we all like different stuff. Although, I personally find it funny how you said cartoon have no meaning today. My parents said the exact same thing about the stuff I watched growing up, especially anime. **

**I personally think both Goku and Chi-Chi put up a lot from each other. Goku has to deal with Chi-Chi's controls issues and bossiness, and she has to deal with Goku's love for fighting and running off. But they make it work, which is why they loved each other. They put up with each other flaws. No relationship is perfect or painless, but it is how you deal with those flaws that makes a marriage.**

 **I try not to think too deeply about _GT_. I don't hate it like other fans do and it did have some good ideas and I liked that it asked if the characters were too depend on the Dragon Balls. But it was highly flawed, poorly executed, and I never considered it canon so the ending never effected me on that level. Not to mention it was downright confusing and weird. Although, my interpretation of _GT's_ ending with Shenron is that the Earth became too depended on the Dragon Balls to fix their problems, which is why Shenron decided to leave. I am not too sure why Goku went with him. I think it is because Goku asked for a final wish to restore everything so things could start anew. That is what I believed happened.**

 **On the story itself, I always tried to dig deeper into stuff. It is a mixed of me over-thinking things and wanting to know how these characters think. To see them as more than what we've seen and fully flush them out as three-dimensional characters.**

 **Well, hope you keep reading and enjoy the finale of the story.**

 **That is it for now. Next chapter, the story will conclude. It seems so short, yet so long given the chapters' length. It's been fun nonetheless. Be sure to be here for the finale.**


	8. One's Worth

**Here it is, the final chapter of the story. So short, yet so sweet. Thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and follows. I am truly grateful to everyone who has commented. I hope the conclusion is everything you hoped for.**

 **Now, to the finale.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: One's Worth**

* * *

Goku rubbed his forehead as he finished changing the last pipe under the sink. With this, the plumbing issues should be resolved for the time being.

Chi-Chi wasn't kidding about a lot of work that needed to be done. The house had become quite rundown in his absent. If he knew this would happen, he would have taught Gohan how to do fixed things. Or at least done more work by the Cell Games so the house would be in prime condition when he died.

Thankfully, the plumbing wasn't as bad as the roof and he finished faster than he expected. He was also able to work more efficiently since he simply felt better this morning, both physically and mentally.

After several days of rest, he no longer felt worn out in the morning and he didn't feel the need to take a nap. He still wasn't in peak condition, but he was getting there. And, after being forced to laugh for a prolong amount of time yesterday, he felt happier. It was kinda surprising that his happy buzzed from that tickle fight was still with him, but he wasn't going to complain. He wondered if that was why Gohan enjoyed them so much when he was little.

He dismissed the thought as he finished his task in the kitchen. He then went to put the worn and broken pipes he pulled into the recycling bin. As he stepped outside, he saw Chi-Chi doing laundry.

"Goku, are you finished already?" Chi-Chi asked.

She sounded unusually chipper. Well, more than unusual since Chi-Chi has been very happy since his return.

He nodded. "Yeah. The sink should work fine now."

She smiled. "Oh thank goodness. I was so sick of that thing dipping and the mold that was developing under there. I tried to get dad to fixed it, but he's all thumbs when it comes to these kind of things."

Goku chuckled. Ox-King was quite graceful giving his giant size, but even he found delicate tasks to be difficult. "Do you need anything else done?"

Chi-Chi shook her head. "No, I'm fine for now." She paused. "Actually, I need you to go away for a couple of hours."

He tilted his head. "Why?"

"I have something I need to do and you'll only get in the way," Chi-Chi said with some heat.

Goku rubbed the back of his head, utterly lost.

Chi-Chi was rarely secretive. She actually kinda of sucked at keeping anything hidden since she wore her emotions on her sleeve. She was hiding something, but what? As much as he wrecked his mind, he couldn't think of anything. Given her good mood all this time, she couldn't be mad at him.

Chi-Chi seemed to read his thoughts and her face softened. "No, I'm not mad at you. I just need to do something before Gohan gets home from school."

Goku nodded, not quite believing her. "Okay."

In cases like theses, it was best to just go along. Otherwise, she really would be mad at him.

She grabbed a handful of laundry and started to head towards the house. "Can you stay away until a little after four? It's very important."

"No problem," Goku answered. "I can do some training in the mountains."

"Okay then. Take care and don't hurt himself," Chi-Chi said.

Goku smiled and he took off. As he flew towards one of his favorite training areas, his mind wondered to what Chi-Chi could be up to.

The few times she sent him away, when she wasn't outraged, it was usually to do cleaning like waxing the floor or dusting. He was also told to get lost when one of Gohan's tutors came over. Other times, she was cooking a huge meal and she didn't want him sneaking food.

He drooled at the last part.

Chi-Chi has been cooking a lot lately, but she still hadn't fully adjusted to cooking for three Saiyans. He's been trying to curve his eating habits, since Gohan and Goten needed the food more than him. They were both growing boys after all. It was so hard, though, since Chi-Chi's cooking was so delicious.

Gohan, being the observing young man that he was, quickly noticed this and refused to take his full share of food. Which naturally led to Chi-Chi discovering that she wasn't cooking enough. Leading to her becoming sad and upset that she wasn't providing for her family.

He stopped drooling.

He loved to eat and he loved his wife's food, but not at the cost of making Chi-Chi unhappy. He tried to assure her it was no big deal, but his stomach strongly disagreed, always growling after only a few hours after a meal.

Usually, he could go up to five hours before beginning to feel hungry. That's, of course, if he ate a big enough meal. Now, he started to feel hunger pains in just two to three, which frustrated Chi-Chi. Didn't help that he became visibly weaker and tired when hungry, despite his best attempt to hide it. That was also part of the reason why he was sleeping more.

She was getting better, though. Last night, she made enough to make his satisfied, but that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to fill him like she did before.

He chuckled to himself.

Chi-Chi could be too good to him at times. Most people who got to know him and his appetite stopped trying to fill his belly after the first attempt. Bulma, who had _far_ more money and resources than Chi-Chi, complained about feeding Vegeta and that was before Trunks was old enough to eat solids. He could only imagined what she was saying now. Vegeta tried to act reserved, but he could easily eat as much as him.

He looked down and saw the place where he wanted to train. It was a valley right next to a waterfall. When Piccolo stayed with them during those three years before the androids, he would often come here to meditate. Piccolo seemed to have a thing for waterfalls. He half expected to see his one time enemy floating near the water, trying to ignore him.

Instead, he was the only one there. He couldn't help being slightly disappointed.

Mr. Popo casually mentioned that Piccolo have lived on the Lookout since Denda took over as Guardian of the Earth. He was helping to mentor Denda in his role as guardian, making sure he didn't make the same mistakes he made when he was Kami.

He shook his head at this.

It was still hard for him to wrap his head around Piccolo and Kami now being the same person. In many ways, the Piccolo he had come to know and respect didn't exist anymore. The Piccolo that existed now was much softer, kinder, and more protective of the Earth. Traits he undoubtedly got from Kami.

Then again, that wasn't really Piccolo. He called himself Piccolo, rejecting the name he tried to give, but it wasn't him. Well, not completely. He was the Namekian that came to Earth all those years ago. He was neither Kami nor Piccolo. It was kinda confusion. When he talked to Piccolo, there were times he swore that he was talking to Kami.

There were also odd moments where he felt like he was talking to a complete stranger. But that happened long before Piccolo and Kami remerged. It actually happened on Namek where Piccolo's energy felt so different that he thought he was a different person. There were also a subtle changes in his personality. Nothing major, but he seemed more….noble and at ease.

Perhaps he was putting too much thought in it. Gohan, who knew Piccolo better than anyone, saw no difference in the man. To him, Piccolo was Piccolo. Maybe it was difficult for him because he knew both Piccolo and Kami, so the slips in personality stuck out more.

He sighed as he landed. In either case, he wished Piccolo were here and not just because he wanted a sparring partner to loosen him up.

Piccolo wasn't the talkative type and he didn't care to hear about other people's issues. Gohan was the only one who could communicate to Piccolo on a personal level. And Piccolo certainly wouldn't want to hear his woes and worries.

Not that he blamed him. He was like that too. He didn't care to know people's issues, although his friends, especially Krillin and Bulma, often used him to unload all their current issues. He didn't mind Krillin, but he didn't want to know the details of Bulma's life.

Piccolo, however, did have his own way of knowing when someone was in emotional turmoil. During the first year of training for the androids, Piccolo insisted that he do a series of long and tedious meditation exercises before and after training. This confused him at first, but he realized in time that Piccolo was trying to help him.

After returning home, he wasn't entirely mentally well. When he realized that Frieza had returned and was heading towards Earth, he nearly went into a blind rage. He knew what that monster was planning and he was going to put an end to him, as _painfully_ as possible. But before he could make his move to take down the tyrant, someone else had killed Frieza.

He was thankful to Trunks for taking care of Frieza and protecting his family and friends, but a part of him still felt cheated. Frieza was his pray and Trunks took that from him. _He_ was the one who was supposed to end Frieza. But, he had his chance and he blew it. Complaining about the lost opportunity then was both stupid and petty.

But he felt it was a lost opportunity to release all the pent up anger and hatred he still had towards the man. He wanted to unleashed hell on Frieza and humiliated him again. He wanted to give in to the rage of the Super Saiyan and show Frieza a nightmare before he died.

And it scared him.

He thought he had conquered those feelings, but they returned in full forced that day. If Trunks didn't come, he could have been a danger to everyone if he lost control.

He didn't have the chance to resolve those feelings since he had to mentally prepare himself for a new battle against an opponent who was worse than Frieza.

Despite his attempts to bury those feelings, Piccolo must have sensed it. That's why he was so insistence on those meditation exercises. It helped him to relax and cleared his thoughts.

He never thanked Piccolo for that. Without acknowledging his problem, he did his best to help him. He also did it in a way that didn't alert Gohan. That was when he started to see Piccolo as a true friend and not just a comrade.

Goku landed by the waterfall and took several deep breaths.

Slowly, he did a series training exercises he learned throughout his life and afterlife. He went through each form carefully, making sure the position of his body and flow of movements were sync perfectly.

He felt himself relaxed as the flow of his energy pulsed through him and he listened to the steady beat of the waterfall.

In this zone, he was in complete control. There was no worries, no doubts, no evil. Just the flow of his body and the calmness around him.

In Otherworld, he remembered doing these types of exercises for days. It was easy since he didn't need to eat or drink and time seemed to just flew by. He didn't even know three days had past until King Kai told him. There was even a betting pool among the other dead warriors about how long he would go. Apparently, Olibu won the bet.

He doubted he could go that long now. One, he was alive now and had certain needs that had to be fulfill. The most obvious being bathroom breaks. And, he didn't want to go that long. Chi-Chi would kill him if he disappeared for days just to train.

He did that once when they were first married. To him, it was just another training day. He lost track of time and didn't return home until two days later. No big deal. When he lived here as a child he would be away from the house for a week or more. Back then; he had no one waiting for him.

That changed once he was married and Chi-Chi was _pissed_.

She gave him an earful about how worried she was and how she was closed to calling the police to report him missing. Her screams were so loud that he was certain that the entire mountain heard her and his ears rung for days.

Her outburst baffled him at the time. No one cared if he went missing for a day or two. He went months to years without seeing his friends without any issue.

After Chi-Chi stopped making his ears bleed, she explained more carefully why she was mad. As a married couple, it wasn't good for him to just wonder off without saying anything and not coming back. He had to come home everyday and if he wanted to leave longer, he had to tell her.

He didn't completely understand at the time since marriage to him still meant a type of roommate who you now and again mated with. He didn't even really considered Chi-Chi a friend either since he hardly knew her.

It wasn't until Gohan was born that he understood, at least partly, why Chi-Chi freaked out. She must have been deathly afraid that he would leave her with the baby for days without noticed. After taking care of Gohan a few times by himself, he understood why that would make someone upset.

Years later, he truly understood what made Chi-Chi upset. She wasn't afraid that he would leave her and not come back. She was afraid that he would leave, get hurt somehow, and die without her knowing a thing. A notion that would have been ridiculous, if it didn't actually happened. She went over a day without knowing that he had been killed and Gohan was kidnapped.

He was greatly annoyed that his friends kept Chi-Chi in the dark for that long. It would've been easier to just tell her the truth from the start instead of forcing her to go a day wondering what happened to her family. He didn't want to imagine how scared she was. That also explained why Chi-Chi was so cold towards him after his revival and why she wouldn't let Gohan out of sight. Something like that would traumatize anyone, especially someone as sensitive as Chi-Chi.

Hopefully, he wouldn't be disappearing again anytime soon. He had every intention of staying, but he knew that life was unpredictable. A day of peace could easily become a day of terror and lost. A lesson that Raditz taught and Buu reinforced. He could live another twenty years or died tomorrow. Life was just fickle.

And one day, he may just feel the need to travel again. After his adventures as a child, he didn't feel right staying in one place for too long anymore, even these mountains. Although he enjoyed and valued his first years with Gohan and Chi-Chi, some of the best years of his life, he found himself wanting by the time Raditz came.

His life had become complacent. Although he still trained, he had stopped growing. It was the same slumped he was in when Bulma found him all those years ago. Back then, he didn't realized how limited his life was, so his lack of growth didn't bother.

He missed seeing the world and fighting strong beings like Piccolo. He even mused several times finding Piccolo and challenging just so he could ease the urged to fight. He could fight his friends, but they couldn't challenge him the way Piccolo could. He had outgrown them and wanted, _needed_ a challenged.

Chi-Chi seemed to sense his growing discomfort, which was why she suggested that he go to the reunion at Master Roshi's.

He was grateful, but he knew that wouldn't be enough. When he returned from the reunion, he had hoped to convince Chi-Chi to travel the world with him. Chi-Chi and Gohan would see the Earth and get to experience how he viewed things. It wouldn't be long, maybe a year or two. More than enough time for Gohan to be back for preschool and have some real world experience.

It would be a hard sell. Chi-Chi wasn't the traveling or adventurous type. She saw going to West City as a big deal. She also was _extremely_ protective of Gohan. Almost all of Gohan's early phobias were caused by Chi-Chi fussing. But he was sure that he could convince her, if for the education experience for Gohan. There were many things that had to be experience, not read about.

Raditz's destroyed those plans. It was also a lesson of being careful of what you wished for. He wanted adventure, excitement, and to fight dangerous and powerful foes, he got it. He got his fill.

Lesson learned. He would never take peace for granted again. He now trained not only for his personal benefit and enjoyment, but to keep an incident like Raditz from happening again.

Raditz bested him so thoroughly because he allowed himself to sit still and grow comfortable in peace. It was the same trap that everyone; saved for Vegeta, fall into in these seven years. If he had kept growing, things may have been different that day.

But he couldn't complain. A lot of terrible things happened because of Raditz, but his arrival opened the entire universe to him with wonders and frights that were beyond his imagination. In many ways, he was indebted to his brother.

With that said, he would loved to travel the world again. Not now. Right now he just wanted to be with his family and settle down for a while. But someday, he wanted to travel the world and hopefully take Chi-Chi with him. Their sons could come too if they wanted. He knew Goten would. He inherited his adventurous spirit. Gohan may be too busy with school and Videl to come.

He opened his eyes when the call of nature hit him. Another thing he didn't miss being dead.

Once he finished his business, he looked up towards the sun and saw that it was least past four. Somehow, he trained for over six hours without noticing anything. Where did the time go?

He flexed his arms and he realized that despite the constant exercised that he wasn't really tired. He wasn't even a little sore. The last time he trained this long while he was alive, he was sore and all over. Now, there was nothing.

He was in much better shaped than he thought, which made him smile. To think that he had gotten to the point where training for several hours without stopping barely left him breathing hard. It was nothing like seven years ago. Then again, he got tired more easily after his sickness. He would have to ramp up his training if he wanted to become stronger.

Once he finished observing himself, he felt his cloths and realized that they were slightly damped. He may have to change clothes, but he didn't think he needed to bathe. He would jump into a river, but that would just make Chi-Chi complained since she didn't count that as a bath.

Sighing, he took to the air.

It didn't take long for him to reach the house and he was thankfully dry by the time he arrived. He forgot he could air dry.

His happiness that he wasn't coming home as a sweaty mess was downplayed as he realized that there was no one there to greet him. Gohan should be home by now and Goten should be back from Trunks. He didn't feel their energy either.

He landed and sensed around, checking for any signs of danger. Everything appeared normal. But something wasn't right. It was far too quiet.

He sniffed the air and got a whiffed of the aroma of food. A _lot_ of food. Chi-Chi must have cooked a feast.

His mouth watered and his stomach growled.

So, that's why she sent him away. She was cooking up a storm. In that case...

He walked through the door, ready to eat.

"SURPRISE!"

Goku nearly jumped. In front of him stood his friends. How they all managed to cram into his house, he wasn't sure.

Krillin laughed as he held his daughter in his arms. "Dang, we got him good. I thought for sure he would noticed us."

"He wouldn't. He was distracted by the smell of food," Chi-Chi spoke lightly. She was standing near the kitchen.

Oh, that's dirty. She purposely made the food standout so he wouldn't pay attention to the scents of his friends. And he fell right for it. They also suppressed their energy, which was why he felt nothing.

Well played.

Bulma walked right up to him and hit his chest. "You should have seen your face. I think I've never seen you so surprised."

Goku looked at his long time friend. "Why are you here?"

As far as he remembered it wasn't his birthday. Well, technically speaking, he didn't have a birthday. No one knew when he was born and his grandpa never celebrated birthdays. He didn't even know people celebrated the day of their birth until Master Roshi threw a small birthday party for Krillin.

Since he didn't have a special day, his friends made one for him. The day Bulma found him was chosen. It was fitting. It was the day that his life changed forever.

But that day past already. So why was they celebrating. A belated birthday?

Bulma laughed. "You idiot. We're celebrating your return."

He tilted his head. "But didn't I do that when I got home?"

Yamcha walked beside him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "Yeah, but that was among your family. We want to celebrate too, you know."

Bulma smiled. "I wanted to throw you something at Capsule Corp, but Chi-Chi called me first with her plans."

Goku was shocked to hear this. "Chi-Chi?"

Bulma nodded. "It was all her idea. She called us about two days ago and we made plans."

Goku looked to his wife who was smiling at him.

This was completely unexpected. Chi-Chi simply didn't invite his friends over for anything. Outside of Yamcha and maybe Krillin, she didn't like any of them too much. She found Master Roshi to be a prev and a bad influence on Gohan. She thought Bulma was kind of a spoil brat and a man chaser, also a bad influence. And her issues with Piccolo were very well known.

But everyone was here, including Piccolo, Mr. Satan, Buu, and Videl. Even Tien, Chiaotzu, heck even Denda was here. Those two were so reclusive that he was shocked to see them here more than Piccolo.

"Hey, Kakarot! Are you just going to stand there like an idiot? Hurry up and get this party started so I can eat," a voice ordered impatiently.

Goku looked towards the back of the room and saw Vegeta standing in the shadows, nearly invisible.

Now _that_ was unexpected. Out of everyone, Vegeta was the last person he was expecting. Not only did Chi-Chi invite him, but he came willingly? What alternative universe did he walk into?

"Don't be rude?" Bulma scowled as she walked towards her husband.

Goku laughed. "Sorry, sorry. You all must be crowded. Come on. It will be far more comfortable outside."

Soon, everyone spread out with most of the guests moving outside, while others stood in the house. Chi-Chi sat out a picnic table and set the spread of food down for everyone to eat. The party was in full swing with everyone socializing with one another.

Goku spent most of his time catching up with Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu. He didn't really get the chance to hear about their lives during the tournament. He was the most curious about how Krillin got with 18. Given how shy he was around women and how forcible 18 was, them getting married just didn't make any sense to him.

"Well, it didn't happen overnight. It was kinda gradual thing, you know," Krillin said with a blush.

"So you and 18 been living with Master Roshi. That...has to be interesting," Goku said.

Krillin chuckled. "You don't have to worry about 18. She can handle Master Roshi just fine. And since 18 is pretty, he doesn't charge me rent as long as she's there."

Goku snickered before turning towards Yamcha. "How you been doing? Do you still play baseball?"

"Now and then, usually when I'm low on cash," Yamcha answered. "I enjoy it, but it can be so boring. No challenge at all." He smiled. "But the pay is so good since, especially since I can bribe the coach for more money."

Goku laughed. "I bet. Although, you can always go back to martial arts and be like Mr. Satan."

He shook his head. "No thanks. It's one thing to be a minor baseball star, but being like Mr. Satan would be too much. I mean the stalkers, the hanger-ons, the press. No thanks. I wouldn't mind competing in the tournament again, but it's become too big. And, outside of all of you, it would be more boring than baseball."

Tien nodded. "That's why we didn't want to come. The World Martial Arts Tournament isn't what it used to be. It's a big festival, dedicated to Mr. Satan. It isn't about fighting anymore. Just a circus."

Goku hummed.

He couldn't disagree. Tournament wasn't what it used to be. First they separated the kids from the adults so young brilliant fighters like Goten and Trunks were stuck fighting babies. The elimination round was just them punching a machine, so fighters who were weak, but skilled didn't even have the chance to fight. And the crowds themselves were much more ignorance of martial arts. Flying and them shooting blasts were seen as a trick instead of real martial arts.

It was kinda depression. He used to live for those tournaments. They were the highlight of his life as a child. To earn the title of world's strongest was his dream and the moment he finally won the title was one of the happiest moments of his life.

"Although, I do wish we came. If we did, we could have helped more against Buu," Chiaotzu said.

"I doubt there was anything you could have done. I mean, Piccolo and me got turned to stone by that Dabura guy like a bunch of chumps," Krillin stated.

Tien sighed. "Hate to say it, but he's right. I saw Buu. That guy was a complete monster like nothing we've ever encounter." He shook his head. "One kick. That's all it took to take me out."

"No point wondering about what could have been. It's done now and everything worked out," Goku stated lightly.

He felt like a hypocrite saying that since he spent the last couple of days wondering about what ifs.

"But enough about us. What about you?" Krillin said as he lightly elbowed his chest and gave him a mischievous grin. "When's the wedding?"

Goku blinked. "Wedding?"

"Oh come on. Even you must see it." He pointed over towards Gohan and Videl, who were talking intimately to each other. "Those two are practically engaged."

Yamcha chuckled. "Hard to see little Gohan in love. Man, makes me feel old."

Goku smiled. He was happy that his son had found someone special. He couldn't have found anyone better than Videl. "If they do get married, it'll probably be after they've finished with high school. I don't think Chi-Chi will let them before then."

"Are you kidding? Chi-Chi is probably Videl and Gohan's biggest supporter. She wants him to married her as soon as possible," Yamcha laughed. "I can't blame her, thought. If Gohan marries Videl, he will be set for life given how rich she is."

"Goku, you shouldn't ignore your other guests," Chi-Chi scowled lightly as she walked over to her husband.

Goku smiled as he got up from his chair. "Sorry, guys. Have to go and talked to everyone else."

"Hey, take you time. We got plenty of time to catch up," Krillin said.

Goku spent about an hour greeting and talking to his other friends. He even talked to Vegeta for a bit, who was trying his best to ignore his existence.

According to Vegeta, he was only there because of the food, not to hangout with him. Although that was certainly true, to an extent, Goku could also tell that the older Saiyan was happy to have him back. If for nothing else, he had a training partner again.

Although Vegeta never said as much, he could sense that during their battle that part of the reason why he was so dissatisfied was because he had no bar to surpass. Since Gohan didn't trained, Vegeta became the strongest in the world by default. That didn't sit well with him since he wanted to earn his spot as the greatest. Goku also suspected that was why there was such a big power gap between them, even before Vegeta became a Majin.

While he was dead, he was surrendered by powerful fighters. He had the Grand Kai who made him looked like he was standing still when they first met, Pikkon who rivaled Cell in strength, and many more powerful warriors from across the universe. He had to work long and hard to break his limits and surpassed them.

Vegeta didn't have that. It was very much a reversal of before they met. Back then; _he_ was the one who stood still from being on the peaceful Earth, while Vegeta fought in space against many powerful foes and had a being like Frieza who was the bar to surpassed.

Now, they both stood on equal ground. Vegeta may have finally accepted his strength, but he still saw the drive in the man to become stronger. If he relaxed for even a moment, Vegeta would surpass him. He wasn't going to allow that.

After finishing his relatively brief conversation with Vegeta, he felt someone hugged him from behind.

"Thank you for bringing him back to me," Bulma whispered into his back. Her voice sounded thick, almost like she was trying not to cry.

Goku turned towards his oldest friend. "Why are you thanking me? It's because of me that he went off the deep end to begin with."

Bulma shook her head and lowered her eyes. "No. He did that to himself." She sighed as she hugged his arm, using him for support. "After you died, he was an utter mess. He completely lost the will to fight and moped around the house. For a long time, I was afraid he would leave Earth since he had nothing to anchor him here anymore. You were the reason why he stayed. Without you, he would have gone into space and never returned."

Goku was surprised to hear this. He didn't know Vegeta of all people lost his drive. He couldn't even mentally pictured Vegeta not training. It was like imagining Gohan not studying.

"Slowly, he started to get back to his normal self, but he wasn't the same," Bulma said. She had a small smile. "In some ways, he was better. He acknowledged Trunks as his son and spent time with him. He even trained him a little. But I could also tell that he was also very sad. He trained, but had no one to surpass anymore. Gohan threw himself into his studies and Goten was too young. He lost a kindred spirit when you passed." She looked right into Goku's eyes. "He may pretend to hate you, but you really are the closest thing that man has to a best friend."

Goku remained silence as he listened to Bulma.

"When he heard that you were returning for a day, I have never seen him so alive. It was like the Vegeta of old again. I thought after he settles his beef with you that he would finally find peace." Bulma laughed humorlessly. "Instead, he chose to become a monster again and kill those innocent people."

"Vegeta wasn't in his right mind," Goku quickly countered.

She shook her head. "You don't need to protect him. He told me everything. He willingly gave himself to that wizard, Babidi. And...he willingly killed those people to provoke you to fight."

"Bulma..." Goku started.

"He wanted to surpass you so much that he gave his soul, his convictions, and his life with Trunks and me away," she spoke softly, cutting Goku off. "When I saw him at the tournament...he was just like he was before. That evil prince who mercilessly murdered people. The monster who oversaw the murdered of our friends. That's when I decided. Even if there was a chance to wish him back, I wouldn't take it."

Goku's eyes widen in horror.

"I love Vegeta. The gods know how much I love that arrogant, selfish man, but I couldn't have him murdering innocent people and breaking Trunks' heart by seeing him like that," Bulma said, squeezing his arm. "That was why I was happy to hear that he died sacrificing himself to save us. I could at least tell Trunks that his father died a noble death. That he didn't die as that monster."

Goku lowered his eyes.

He couldn't, didn't want to, imagine the pain Bulma suffered over those terrible couple of days. To lose her husband was bad enough. To lose him because of a self-inflicted choice must have caused her unimaginable agony.

At the time he fought Vegeta and he learned the truth, he wanted to beat him to a pulp. He was giving the gift of a wife, a child, and a second chance at life and he threw it all away like it meant nothing. He betrayed his wife and son all because he couldn't stand being second to him. He almost wanted to go Super Saiyan 3 to punished him for. To rubbed in Vegeta's face that he did it all for nothing.

But his anger didn't last long. Instead, he simply pitied Vegeta, which was probably worse for the proud Saiyan prince. As angry as he was at Vegeta, he just couldn't stay mad at someone he saw as pathetic. It was the same reason why he showed pity on Frieza.

"But he was given a second chance," Bulma suddenly spoke up. "He had the chance to redo his mistakes and you helped him. If it wasn't for you being there and forcing him to acknowledge his better angel, then Vegeta would have been lost in Hell."

Goku rubbed the back of his head. "I think you're giving me too much credit."

She shook her head. "No. It was him acknowledging that you were the better warrior that finally set him free. He can finally let go of the past and his selflessness when fighting Buu was what allowed him to be revived by the Namekian dragon. And you saved him again by refusing to throw the Spirit Bomb when Majin Buu pinned him," Bulma stated. "If you didn't come, if you didn't force him to confront his demons, than Vegeta wouldn't be the man he is now. He'd still be that bitter person always chasing your ghost. For that, I will always be thankful."

He wasn't sure what to say to that. He blamed himself for indirectly causing Vegeta to give himself over to Babidi. Yeah, it was Vegeta's choice, but it would have never had happened if he didn't return.

Now, seeing things from Bulma's perspective, it made things a little better. Vegeta no longer resented his family for making him 'soft' and he was able to give Vegeta some form of closure. And perhaps, most of all, Vegeta's soul may be saved in the long run.

Even if Vegeta never sold himself, he was still most likely going to Hell when he died. Vegeta had done too many bad things to be allowed into Heaven and he doubted he would be giving a special pardon like Piccolo to train. The best Vegeta could asked for was to be reborn, in which he would forever lose his memories of his previous life.

Now, if Vegeta actively chose to work off his bad karma, he could get a pardon and be like Piccolo when he first died. He could even put in a special request for him. After helping to kill Majin Buu and his number of other good deeds, the Otherworld owed him a favor or two.

In any case, it was best not to think about that now. Hopefully, Vegeta's final judgment wouldn't be happening for many more years and he wanted to enjoy life before thinking anymore about the afterlife.

"Think nothing of it, Bulma," Goku said with a huge smile. "I'm happy to have Vegeta back too. It would be too quiet if I didn't have my rival around."

Bulma smiled and let go of his arm. "You better not slack off with your family too much. Vegeta will be gunning for you soon."

"I have no intention of letting him get better than me," Goku laughed.

Bulma chuckled and left to mingle with the rest of the group.

Just as she left, Chi-Chi came up from behind and hugged him. "You know, you're lucky that I'm not the jealous type." He gave her a confused look, which caused her to chuckled. "Most wives wouldn't like their husbands cuddling up with another woman."

"Oh," Goku said rather blankly. "Bulma and me are just friends."

Chi-Chi smiled. "I know, but you two share a special bond. She was the first person you met after your grandfather and your first real friend." She hugged Goku tighter. "You were also her first true friend and her protector. That's something Vegeta or me will never have with you two."

Goku turned around and gently lifted Chi-Chi's chin. "Maybe. But I also don't love Bulma either."

There was that word again. For some reason, he found it easier to say each time.

Chi-Chi was closed to tears. "You really mean it?"

He nodded. "As I said on the Lookout. I love _you_ , Chi-Chi."

She was in tears as she got up on her toes and kissed him. "And I love you, Goku. Till death and beyond."

"Oh, that's so sweet."

Goku and Chi-Chi turned around to see Baba floating behind them on her crystal ball.

"How long you've been there?" Chi-Chi demanded.

"Long enough to see you lovey-dovey moment," Baba teased.

Before Chi-Chi could lie into the older woman, Goku cut her off. "I didn't know Chi-Chi invited you."

"She didn't. Which is very rude, by the way," Baba said, although she didn't sound angry or annoyed. "I came over since I have been sensing an uneasiness from you these last few days."

"You have?" Goku asked in surprised. He didn't know she had that kind of power.

Baba nodded. "I'm not surprised. You've been dead a long time. In fact, you are the first to return to the living world after being dead for so long. Readjusting to your old life can't be easy. Especially since you left with so much guilt. It would drive most people mad."

Goku rubbed his head. "Am I that easy to read?" He was normally so good at keeping his emotions in check. He must be slipping.

Baba stared at him for several seconds. "I normally don't do this, but do you want to hear what would have happened if you didn't come back the day of the tournament?"

"You can see that!?" Chi-Chi exclaimed in shock.

"I can see almost anything from my crystal ball," Baba stated. "The past, the present, and the future."

Goku tilted his head, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What would have happened?"

Baba looked directly into his eyes, unnerving him. "Majin Buu would have awakened. The circumstances of his revival would have been different, but it was destined to happen. Not even the Supreme Kai could have stopped it."

Goku stiffened upon hearing this.

Chi-Chi also wrapped her arms tighter around Goku.

"Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, and the others would have put up a valiant struggle, but in the end they would have failed and the Earth would have been destroyed," Baba went on in a cold, emotionless voice. "From there, Majin Buu would go on to terrorize the universe."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence.

"This happened because Goku wasn't around to stop Buu?" Chi-Chi asked as a chill ran up her spine. The thought that her entire family could have been permanently dead brought her closed to tears.

Baba nodded.

"Baba...you foresaw this?" Goku asked.

Baba sighed. "I usually don't get visions that strongly of the future. Usually only feelings of foreboding. But yes. A month before the tournament, I foresaw Majin Buu's awakening. His revival was such a shift in the future that is was impossible to ignore. Denda may have felt it too, but he couldn't know the true horrors that was about to fall upon the Earth"

Goku's eyes widen in realization. "That...that's around the same time you went to see me. Baba...did you bring me back for a day to fight Buu?"

"I looked into my crystal ball," Baba said. "If I told Gohan and the others what was about to happened, the future wouldn't have changed. There was simply no time for them to become stronger than Majin Buu, even using the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. They would just prolong the inevitable." She floated closer to Goku. "But, when I factored you into the picture, the future changed. There was a chance of Buu being defeated."

"You saw all of this?" Goku asked in disbelief. "Vegeta turning himself over to Babidi, Gohan being taking by the Supreme Kai to train, me teaching the Fusion Dance to Goten and Trunks, Buu becoming Super Buu, everyone being absorbed by Buu and me fusion with Vegeta, Buu returning to normal and destroying the Earth, and me killing Buu with the Spirit Bomb. You saw all of that?"

Baba shook her head. "Of course not. The most likely scenarios I saw was you beating Buu when he was still fat or Gotenks beating him after you taught them the Fusion Dance. There was _no_ way even I could have foreseen Buu splitting in half and turning into that monstrous Super Buu, him absorbing everyone, or him turning into that demon of pure destruction. Even my powers have its limits."

"That does make sense. Since Buu was a being of chaos, he would throw off future events," Goku noted before looking at the old woman. "But why didn't you tell me about Buu?"

"I saw it would make little different, other than making you worry needlessly," Baba answered. "Whether you knew or not, almost everything everything that happened before Buu's awakening would have still happened."

ChiChi folded her arms. "So, even for a fortune teller, you got it wrong."

"Give me a break! The future is always moving! Nothing is set in stone, especially with a being like Buu!" Baba shouted before calming herself. "Still, it worked out for the best. Not only was the bad Majin Buu defeated and we gained a powerful ally with the good Buu, but Goku was restored to us as well. This is much better than anything I could have predicted. I sense a bright future for the Earth."

Goku was taken back by all this information. It was good thing that he returned?

Baba seemed to read his thoughts. "Goku, you misread your purpose. Despite the villains who came after you, it was all a _good_ that those things happened."

"What?" Goku asked in disbelief.

"If you didn't fight the Saiyans and Frieza, those villains would still be terrorizing the universe and countless lives would be lost to this day," Baba explained. "And the androids, although it's unfortunate what happened to Trunks in his time, turned out to be a blessing."

Goku titled his head at this.

"If it wasn't for the androids, especially Cell, no one would have been as strong as they are now and would have been killed by Babidi's men. You dying also allowed you to reach an ascended Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 3 and learned the Fusion Dance, which gave the Earth a fighting chance against Majin Buu," Baba said. "No matter the tragedy, Goku, it all happened for a reason."

Goku was left speechless.

He never saw it that way. Not even once. The Earth suffered greatly because of the Saiyans and they dodged a bullet with Frieza. The fallout with the androids was by far the worse. Their world would have been destroyed without Trunks.

Now, taking in Baba's words, she was right. If they never fought the Saiyans or Frieza, the universe as a whole wouldn't be better off. Frieza would still be expanding his empire while murdering millions and Vegeta would still be an evil jerkass, bent on taking Frieza's place. The thought of that didn't sit well with him.

As for the androids, he still wished they never happened. He wished that the Trunks he came to know and respect could have lived a peaceful life without their terror. That Gohan in that time could have lived a long life instead of being forced to fight before murdered at a young age and forcing his mother to bury him. He almost wanted to cry for the Chi-Chi in that time. She had no family left.

But…..he couldn't deny, if they never came they would have been ill-prepared for Babidi. Dabura alone would have torn them apart, forgot Majin Buu. Well, maybe _he_ could have gotten stronger than Dabura, but definitely not Buu.

Then again, maybe not if his heart was damaged. If it was, he wouldn't have gotten that much stronger than he was during the Cell Games, putting him well below Dabura who was at least as strong as Cell after he came back life. He couldn't even handle Cell before then.

Did Baba know about that? She did say if was him dying that allowed him to become an ascended Super Saiyan. If he had lived after the Cell Games, his growth would have been severely limited. Becoming a Super Saiyan 2 would have been impossible, forget Super Saiyan 3.

In a strange, very twisted way, him attaching all these bad people prepared them for Buu, even if it was just barely.

Perhaps...he wasn't such a curse after all.

Chi-Chi suddenly hugged him. He looked down to see her smiling at him. "See. It's what we've been trying to tell you. You are and never have been a curse on us. You have been nothing but a blessing. An angel sent to us from the heavens."

Goku blushed at that last sentence. He really needed to talk to them about stopping using angelic terms to describe him.

"And, you're more than our protector," Chi-Chi said as she turned Goku towards the ongoing party. They could hear the laughter and talking in the distance. "Look. All the people here are here to celebrate you. Not because you saved them. But because they love you as a friend. That's what you mean to us, Goku."

Goku felt his eyes moisten, but he absolutely refused to cry.

He saw it now. How could he have missed it?

He was so busy wallowing in his own self-doubt and guilt that he blinded himself to the truth and allowed himself to deaf to Gohan's words the other day. His friends and family didn't care about his enemies. About the people who would come for revenge or for the glory of killing the strongest in the universe. None of that mattered to them. Despite knowing the dangers he tended to bring upon them, what they wanted was _him_. He had value to them outside of being their savior and protector.

He was a father, husband, and a friend above all else.

"That's why you threw this party for me." Goku finally realized.

She nodded and ran a thumb over his cheek. "You needed to see. You needed to see for yourself how much everyone cares for you." She lowered her head. "I think we all took you for granted. Even when you died the first time or was lost in space, we always knew you would come back to us. These last seven years, we all came to realize how much we depended on you. No one was the same after you died."

"I didn't realized," Goku whispered. "Even when I try to act selflessly, I still end up hurting people."

"That's because you only pay attention to the physical side of people and not the emotional side. It's easy for you to see how your actions hurt us physically. But you were never good with emotions," Chi-Chi replied. "You're very thickheaded in that topic."

"That's because emotions are more complicated," Goku stated in a matter of fact voice.

She pulled him closer. "We didn't make it easy. We kept pushing you to protect us without taking your feelings into account. That you were maybe hurt and in pain. That you also may need a shoulder to cry on or someone to talked to."

Goku looked down at her. "Did Gohan tell you this?"

"He told me some things," Chi-Chi said. "And, I want you know, that you can talk to me about _anything_. Don't ever be afraid to share your feelings with me. And….don't be afraid to cry in front of me either. Don't let all these negative emotions build all inside you anymore. You can let it out. No one can be strong all the time. Not even you."

Goku put his head into his wife's hair, nuzzling her. "It….it's been a long since I talked to anyone like that."

"Then, I think it's well past due. But not right now," she said lightly before she pulled away from him and began to pull him back towards the party. "Come on. You can't neglect your guests."

Goku allowed himself to be pulled before turning towards Baba one last time. "Baba...thank you."

Baba shook her head. "It's us who should be thanking you, Goku."

He smiled and nodded as he went back to the party. Happier and more relieved than he's been in years. It felt like a giant weight had been lifted from his heart. A weight that he's been carrying for so long that he had forgotten what it felt like to be without it. It was liberating.

"And we will be thanking you much more in the future, Goku," Baba said to herself when she was sure Goku was out of earshot. She had a far off expression on her face. "It's unfair for us to ask, especially after all you already gave, but we need you protect this world, this universe, and others a little bit longer. Hopefully by the time you leave this plain forever, you will find a true successor. Until then, Goku, you are our hope."

As Chi-Chi walked Goku back to the party, she suddenly stopped.

Goku took noticed in her sudden change in mood. "What's wrong?"

She remained silence for several seconds before turning towards him. "Goku, I want you to promise me something."

Goku stared at her, afraid of what she was going to asked.

"I'm not going to ask you to never to leave again. I know that's a promise you can never keep. You're too much of a free spirit," Chi-Chi said, reading her fears.

He gave a mental sigh of relief, but his curiosity was raised. What was she going to ask?

"I just want you to promise me that no matter what happens or where you go, that you'll try to bring yourself home," she said, making Goku stared at her. "You've proven time and again that you would die for us. But... I want you promise that you will live for us, too."

Goku opened and closed his mouth several times. "How can I promise that? No matter how hard I may evade death, I will die someday. The same as anyone else."

Chi-Chi shook her head. "I know that. But you can fight off death as along as possible. Fight to return to us. That's all I'm asking. I don't want you to _ever_ take your life for granted again. Because if I hear you let yourself die for _any_ reason, I will never forgive you."

Goku winced at those words. He wasn't sure if he could promise that he would never lay down his life again. Some times, such things couldn't be avoided.

But...she was right about him taking his life for granted. All his life, he believed that his life didn't really matter. Even after making friends and building a family, the sense of not really existing remained.

Talking to his family and seeing his friends during this celebration finally showed him how blind he's been. Perhaps he didn't want to see it. It was easier to fight and die when you believed that no tears would be shed over you. He purposely deluded himself.

He gently placed a hand under his wife's chin and made her look into his eyes. "I can't promise you that I will never sacrifice myself again. If the need arise that my life can save all of you, then I will take it."

Chi-Chi looked to be closed to tears.

" _But_ , I promise that I will do everything within my power to always return to you," Goku swore. "No matter the distance or the trials. Whenever I leave, I will _always_ come back as long as I draw breath."

Chi-Chi felt herself tear up and leaned into Goku's hand, savoring his warmth. She gave a small smile as she looked into his warm eyes. "Then, that's good enough." She pulled Goku towards the party and their awaiting friends.

The rest of the day flew by, as stories were told and old friends caught up. It was like the battle of the past never happened. There was only now and the joy of being alive and whole after so long.

Goku smiled as he listened to one of Krillin's stories. Goten sat on his lap with Gohan and Chi-Chi sitting next to him. He looked at the setting sun and enjoyed the cool breeze in his face. For the first time in days, he truly felt like he belonged.

Yes, many things have changed. His friends were different. The world was a little different. Even he was different than he was seven years ago. But that wasn't a bad thing. For some, it was the best thing ever.

He glanced at Vegeta, who sat near Bulma and Trunks, trying to hide a smile forming on his face. He could even see Vegeta holding Bulma's hand. He had never seen him so content.

He then glimpsed at Mr. Satan who laughed and joked with the Ox-King. It was like he was already an old family friend. Buu was near him, eating plate after plate of food, looking almost like an innocent child.

And the things that did matter remained the same. His friends remained as closed as ever and they still looked out for one another. His family remained by his side despite his shortcomings and loved him despite whatever evils he may bring.

He couldn't asked for anything more.

He squeezed his youngest son to his chest and cuddled closed to his wife, who put her head on his shoulder. Gohan also move closer, almost hugging his dad.

Goku closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. For the first time in days, all was right in the world.

He was alive.

* * *

 **The End**

* * *

 **With that, _Learning to Live Again_ is officially concluded. This was a long chapter, but all the plot points I have been building towards needed to be concluded. I always had a problem that manga and anime never really answered if it was a good thing that Goku remained, or if he was right that he brought more trouble then good. It was like, Goku is back, 'yay'! So, I wanted to give a definitive yes, Goku brought far more good than bad. And it was fitting to end with a party, which is a nod to the party filler in _Dragon Ball Z_. I also couldn't resist given more nods to the first end credits of _Dragon Ball Super_. I am just a sucker for that last part of it.**

 **And before I forget, the part about Baba foreseeing Majin Buu's arrival was** **inspired by Lady Thundera's story, _His Special Gift_. A very good read, especially if you are a Goku and Chi-Chi. Although I find her author's notes annoying given all the digs towards Funimation dub. The story was written during the time when it was very popular to bashed them anything you hated in _Dragon Ball_ , especially when regarding Chi-Chi's personality, which the Japanese anime also exaggerated from the manga.**

 **CGG, thank you for your review. I was worried that the tickling scene went on a little too long, but I thought it was a cute distraction from all the drama.**

 **A big fan, thank you for your review and no problem about your English, I can understand you just fine. _Dragon Ball_ fans in the US are very divided about Goku's parenting skills. From my understanding, the narrative that Goku is a bad or neglectful father is only really seen in the US. Asia countries and most of Europe don't see him this way. In fact, he is seen as a good father who spoils Gohan, too much according to Japan. Also, some fans love to play up the negative traits to any character, which is why Chi-Chi gets the worse of it in fanfics. Although, I find the Piccolo is a better father argument funny since Piccolo does a lot of the same things as Goku. Fans get on Goku for throwing Gohan into the fight with Cell mentally ill-perpared when he's only eleven (nine in the manga), while conveniently forgetting that Piccolo did the _exact_ same thing in the Saiyan Saga. He threw Gohan, who had never been in a live battle before and was pampered for most of his life, into a fight with genocidal aliens when he was only four, yet all is forgiving with him. Piccolo is a father figure, but I wouldn't call him better than Goku. Regardless, Gohan loves them both.**

 **And you right about Toriyama not going into great details about his characters. He likes making jokes and gags, but there is depth there if you look for it, especially in the Cell Saga. As you say, there are small hints, here and there.**

 **Anony, thank you for your review. Part of the reason why I wanted to write this story is because I couldn't find a fic that went into depth about Goku's return after the Buu Saga. Most are one-shots that focused more on fluff (which I do enjoy, btw) or have everyone being angst to the point of being out-of-character, especially Gohan who some people always seem to write as emo, which drives me up the wall. As for the story length, this is actually longer than I thought it would be. When I started, I thought this story will only be five chapters and a little over 30,000 words. So, it has grown more than I expected. But, all things come to end, and I hate when stories go on longer than they should.**

 **With my final author notes, I bid you all farewell. I do have another project in the works, but it won't be out until next year and I can't say when. Hopefully you all will be there to enjoy it.**

 **See you later.**


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